Best schools in California (2025)
The top five of 8,966 schools in each category, with links to the full top 100. Rankings use the Success Index (US), built only from official American data.
California has 8,966 schools educating 5,580,782 students in 2025: 7,749 public, 1,217 charter.
The median Enrollment across California is 503. Students enrolled in the latest NCES directory year.
Browse every school in California →
Best elementary schools in California
Schools classified as elementary by NCES.
Woodside Elementary
Woodside · Public elementary · Grades K–8
385 students
Montecito Union
Santa Barbara · Public elementary · Grades K–6
353 students
Ross Elementary
Ross · Public elementary · Grades K–8
339 students
Cold Spring Elementary
Santa Barbara · Public elementary · Grades K–6
188 students
Bullis Charter
Los Altos · Charter elementary · Grades K–8
997 students
Best middle schools in California
Schools classified as middle schools by NCES.
Corte Madera
Portola Valley · Public middle · Grades 4–8
252 students
Del Mar Middle
Tiburon · Public middle · Grades 6–8
359 students
R. Roger Rowe Middle
Rancho Santa Fe · Public middle · Grades 6–8
189 students
Crocker Middle
Hillsborough · Public middle · Grades 6–8
446 students
Ellen Fletcher Middle
Palo Alto · Public middle · Grades 6–8
572 students
Best high schools in California
Schools classified as high schools by NCES.
Saratoga High
Saratoga · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,161 students
Henry M. Gunn High
Palo Alto · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,643 students
Campolindo High
Moraga · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,340 students
Piedmont High
Piedmont · Public high · Grades 9–12
733 students
Miramonte High
Orinda · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,167 students
Best traditional public schools in California
District-run public schools.
Woodside Elementary
Woodside · Public elementary · Grades K–8
385 students
Corte Madera
Portola Valley · Public middle · Grades 4–8
252 students
Montecito Union
Santa Barbara · Public elementary · Grades K–6
353 students
Del Mar Middle
Tiburon · Public middle · Grades 6–8
359 students
R. Roger Rowe Middle
Rancho Santa Fe · Public middle · Grades 6–8
189 students
Best charter schools in California
Publicly funded charter schools.
Bullis Charter
Los Altos · Charter elementary · Grades K–8
997 students
Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter
San Luis Obispo · Charter elementary · Grades K–6
163 students
Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter
Santa Rosa · Charter middle · Grades 5–6
128 students
Petaluma Accelerated Charter
Petaluma · Charter middle · Grades 7–8
115 students
Creekside Charter
Olympic Valley · Charter elementary · Grades K–8
233 students
Best schools by math proficiency in California
Schools ranked by the share of tested students proficient or above in math on the state assessment (EDFacts, all students), for schools with 30 or more tested students.
Whitney (Gretchen) High
Cerritos · Public high · Grades 7–12
1,024 students
Petaluma Accelerated Charter
Petaluma · Charter middle · Grades 7–8
115 students
California Academy of Mathematics and Science
Carson · Public high · Grades 9–12
673 students
White Oaks Elementary
San Carlos · Public elementary · Grades K–3
250 students
Solana Highlands Elementary
San Diego · Public elementary · Grades K–6
384 students
Best schools by reading proficiency in California
Schools ranked by the share of tested students proficient or above in reading/language arts (EDFacts, all students).
Whitney (Gretchen) High
Cerritos · Public high · Grades 7–12
1,024 students
Oxford Academy
Cypress · Public high · Grades 7–12
1,315 students
Petaluma Accelerated Charter
Petaluma · Charter middle · Grades 7–8
115 students
Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy
Gilroy · Public high · Grades 9–12
304 students
Academy of the Canyons
Santa Clarita · Public high · Grades 9–12
385 students
Best lowest student–teacher ratio in California
Schools with the fewest students per FTE teacher, among schools with at least 100 students.
Tomales High
Tomales · Public high · Grades 9–12
127 students
Kern Workforce 2000 Academy
Bakersfield · Charter high · Grades 9–12
491 students
Kaiser Early Childhood Center
Oakland · Public elementary · Grades K–K
118 students
KIPP San Francisco College Preparatory
San Francisco · Charter high · Grades 9–12
196 students
Justin Elementary
Simi Valley · Public elementary · Grades K–6
103 students
Best largest schools in California
Schools with the highest enrollment.
Eleanor Roosevelt High
Eastvale · Public high · Grades 9–12
4,353 students
Downey High
Downey · Public high · Grades 9–12
4,051 students
Polytechnic High
Long Beach · Public high · Grades 9–12
3,890 students
Warren (Earl) High
Downey · Public high · Grades 9–12
3,609 students
Santiago High
Corona · Public high · Grades 9–12
3,577 students
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best elementary school in California?
Woodside Elementary in Woodside ranks first among elementary schools in California with a Success Index (US) of 95.1 out of 100 (Enrollment: 385).
How are elementary schools in California ranked?
Each school's Success Index (US) combines 4 factors: math proficiency (30%), reading proficiency (30%), community advantage (fewer free/reduced-price lunch) (25%), students per teacher (15%). Each factor is a percentile against schools of the same type across United States. Schools with fewer than 60 students are excluded from rankings.
Are these 2025 rankings official?
No. They are computed by Success Tutoring from official American data (Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES CCD, EDFacts); NCES Common Core of Data). States set their own assessments and proficiency cut scores, so proficiency rates are most comparable within a state. Use the state rankings for like-for-like comparisons.