California’s Education Rankings: Best and Worst Cities
A new report by WalletHub highlights the most and least educated cities in California. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ranks highest among the state’s metros, while Visalia falls to the bottom, along with Modesto and Bakersfield.
Many California students, including those enrolled in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Fresno Unified School Districts, are returning for the school year in August.
Over 5,800,000 students were enrolled in public schools statewide for the 2023-2024 school year, according to the California Department of Education. And some of those students will attend the best high schools nationally and within California, or at least the best as determined by U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best U.S. High School rankings.
Nearly 18,000 schools were ranked on categories such as college readiness and graduation rates. Here are the top-performing schools in California.
Which California school was ranked first statewide?
Riverside STEM Academy, part of the Riverside Unified School District, was the top-ranked California high school. Nationally, it takes 10th place. U.S. News & World Report highlighted the school’s 98% Advanced Placement participation rate. Advanced Placement allows students to earn college credit through courses taken in high school.
The school had high proficiencies in mathematics at 96%; reading at 100%; and science at 97% per tests given to California high school students, U.S. News & World Report found.
What are the top 20 California high schools?
- Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside
- Whitney High School, Cerritos
- Science Academy STEM Magnet, North Hollywood
- Oxford Academy, Cypress
- California Academy of Math and Science, Carson
- Dr. Richard A Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy, Wilmington
- Lowell High School, San Francisco
- Pacific Collegiate School, Santa Cruz
- Lynbrook High School, San Jose
- Dr. T.J. Owens Gilroy Early College Academy, Gilroy
- Mission San Jose High School, Fremont
- University High School, Fresno
- Monta Vista High School, Cupertino
- Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto
- Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
- Saratoga High School, Saratoga
- West Campus High School, Sacramento
- Western Center Academy, Hemet
- Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon
- Girls Academic Leadership Academy: Dr. Michelle King School for STEM, Los Angeles
What is the best high school in the U.S.?
BASIS Peoria in Arizona placed first in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking for 2024.
How does U.S. News & World Report rank schools?
U.S. News & World Report, in coordination with nonprofit research institute RTI International, ranked nearly 17,660 public high schools out of about 25,000 reviewed, said the media company. Public, charter, and magnet schools were ranked on college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, and graduation rates.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.