As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a ’96 commencement address at Wellesley College, “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” If that’s the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It’s a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.5 million students enrolled in public PreK-12 schools in 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in California using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
Editor’s note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in California had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.
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#30. Miramonte High School
– District: Acalanes Union High School District
– Enrollment: 1,174 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#29. Redwood High School
– District: Tamalpais Union High School District
– Enrollment: 1,986 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#28. Homestead High School
– District: Fremont Union High School District
– Enrollment: 2,379 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#27. University High School
– City: Fresno
– Enrollment: 483 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#26. Amador Valley High School
– District: Pleasanton Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,744 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#25. Foothill High School
– District: Pleasanton Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,237 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#24. South Pasadena Senior High School
– District: South Pasadena Unified School District
– Enrollment: 1,451 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#23. Mt. Everest Academy
– District: San Diego Unified School District
– Enrollment: 291 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#22. Mountain View High School
– District: Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
– Enrollment: 2,257 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#21. Del Norte High School
– District: Poway Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,481 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#20. Westview High School
– District: Poway Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,395 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#19. Lowell High School
– District: San Francisco Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,786 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#18. Campolindo High School
– District: Acalanes Union High School District
– Enrollment: 1,400 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#17. Academy of the Canyons
– District: William S. Hart Union High School District
– Enrollment: 414 (30:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#16. Whitney High School
– District: ABC Unified School District
– Enrollment: 1,019 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#15. Lynbrook High School
– District: Fremont Union High School District
– Enrollment: 1,942 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#14. Northwood High School
– District: Irvine Unified School District
– Enrollment: 1,756 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#13. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
– District: Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,359 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#12. La Canada High School
– District: La Canada Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,058 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#11. Torrey Pines High School
– District: San Dieguito Union High School District
– Enrollment: 2,547 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#10. Los Altos High School
– District: Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
– Enrollment: 2,209 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#9. University High School
– District: Irvine Unified School District
– Enrollment: 1,708 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#8. Saratoga High School
– District: Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District
– Enrollment: 1,159 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#7. Riverside STEM Academy
– District: Riverside Unified School District
– Enrollment: 655
– Niche grade: A+
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#6. Palo Alto High School
– District: Palo Alto Unified School District
– Enrollment: 2,085 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#5. Orange County School of the Arts
– District: Santa Ana
– Enrollment: 2,277 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#4. California Academy of Mathematics & Science
– District: Long Beach Unified School District
– Enrollment: 669 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#3. Canyon Crest Academy
– District: San Dieguito Union High School District
– Enrollment: 2,503 (28:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#2. Troy High School
– District: Fullerton Joint Union High School District
– Enrollment: 2,614 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
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#1. Henry M. Gunn High School
– District: Palo Alto Unified School District
– Enrollment: 1,936 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: A+
