Best Elementary, Middle Schools In CA Ranked By U.S. News

CALIFORNIA— Elementary and middle schools across California are included among the best in the country, according to new rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

The news outlet based its 2024 Best Elementary and Middle School rankings on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education, focusing on student proficiency in core subject areas.

In California, the top 10 elementary schools are:

1. North Star Academy, Redwood City
2. La Jolla Elementary, La Jolla
3. William Faria Elementary, Cupertino
4. Manchester Gate, Fresno
5. White Oaks Elementary, San Carlos
6. Valentine Elementary, San Marino
7. Yu Ming Charter, Oakland
8. Murdock-Portal Elementary, San Jose
9. Canyon Charter Elementary, Santa Monica
10. Pacific Rim Elementary, Carlsbad

The top 10 middle schools in California are:

1. Petaluma Accelerated Charter, Petaluma
2. Whitney (Gretchen) High, Cerritos
3. Science Academy Stem Magnet, North Hollywood
4. Oxford Academy, Cypress
5. Elkhorn, Stockton
6. North Star Academy, Redwood City
7. Joaquin Miller Middle, San Jose
8. Bullis Charter, Los Altos
9. Riverside Stem Academy, Riverside
10. William Hopkins Junior High, Fremont

The U.S. News list includes data on more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools nationwide.

In the analysis, U.S. News looked closely at state assessments of students who were proficient or above-proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while also accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said the state and district-level rankings are intended to give parents a snapshot of their child's school and how well it's doing within its community.

"Easily accessible data on student-teacher ratio, district spending, and the number of school counselors available at the school can keep parents informed and involved," Jones said.

To be included in district-level rankings, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.