These Are The Best Public High Schools In CA For 2026-27: U.S. News

Twenty-five public high schools in California earned the highest spots in the state in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 Best High Schools.

U.S. News evaluated about 27,000 eligible public high schools nationwide and ranked nearly 18,000 of them.

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Here are the top 25 high schools in California, along with their national rankings:

1. Science Academy Stem Magnet, North Hollywood — No. 10 nationally
2. Whitney High School, Cerritos — No. 11 nationally
3. Oxford Academy, Cypress — No. 17 nationally
4. Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy, Wilmington — No. 24 nationally
5. Dr. T.J. Owens Gilroy Early College Academy, Gilroy — No. 37 nationally
6. University High School (Fresno), Fresno — No. 64 nationally
7. California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Carson — No. 69 nationally
8. Pacific Collegiate Charter, Santa Cruz — No. 82 nationally
9. Lynbrook High School, San Jose — No. 92 nationally
10. Mission San Jose High School, Fremont — No. 98 nationally
11. Riverside Stem Academy, Riverside — No. 105 nationally
12. Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego — No. 106 nationally
13. Western Center Academy, Hemet — No. 109 nationally
14. Girls Academic Leadership Academy Dr. Michelle King School STEM, Los Angeles — No. 113 nationally
15. West Campus High School, Sacramento — No. 117 nationally
16. University Preparatory, Victorville — No. 120 nationally
17. Monta Vista High School, Cupertino — No. 134 nationally
18. Lowell High School, San Francisco — No. 145 nationally
19. San Marino High School, San Marino — No. 164 nationally
20. Cupertino High School, Cupertino — No. 174 nationally
21. Piedmont High School, Piedmont — No. 178 nationally
22. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter, Chula Vista — No. 179 nationally
23. Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto — No. 180 nationally
24. La Canada High School, La Canada — No. 182 nationally
25. Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon — No. 190 nationally

Among metropolitan areas with a significant number of ranked schools, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, had the largest share in the national top quarter, at 60 percent. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, followed at 59 percent, and Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wisconsin, at 56 percent.

Massachusetts had the largest share of high schools ranked in the top 25 percent nationally, at 47 percent, followed by New Jersey at 44 percent and Maryland at 43 percent.

Central Magnet School in Tennessee topped the national ranking, followed by Signature School in Indiana and Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Pennsylvania.

Signature School also ranked first among charter schools. High Technology High School in New Jersey ranked first among STEM high schools.

The rankings are based on six performance measures, including student achievement on state-required assessments, graduation rates and college readiness.

U.S. News also considers how well schools serve underserved students, participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes.

The rankings use data from the 2023-2024 school year and were produced with research firm RTI International.

The full rankings are available at U.S. News & World Report.

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