[4] In the December 2007, Newsweek released the results of a two-year study to determine the 100 best High Schools in the United States of America.

[5] According to U.S. News & World Report, as of November 2019 CAMS is rated as the 46th best high school in the nation, and the 5th best in California.

Today, CAMS ranks in the top ten schools in California on the NCLB Academic Performance Index; its students score well above state and national averages on the math and verbal SATs.

Its mission is to “defy the odds” and prove that students, especially those from academically deprived environments, can excel in math and science, given a setting that features integrated curriculum, teamwork, and real world applications of learning.

Faculty refer to CAMS as a “talent development program.”[citation needed] Class size is relatively large, between 30-40 students.

[7] Created in 1990 by Dr. Kathleen Clark, CAMS was originally composed of the Southern Academic Complex (SAC) and was relatively small in comparison to now.

Only CAMS seniors are currently granted access to CSUDH's newly completed student union during lunch hours.

Dr. Clark retired at the end of the 2006-2007 school year after having been principal for as long as the graduating class of 2007 had been alive.

[citation needed] California Academy of Math & Science beat Animo 2-1 in a CIF Southern Section Division VII semifinal on 3/3/2010 at Beckham Field at the Home Depot Center.