Here's How Carlsbad Schools Rank: Niche

CARLSBAD, CA — Carlsbad has multiple top-ranked schools, according to new grades and rankings released by Niche. The ranking and review site gave nearly every school in the city an overall grade of A.

Here's how Niche graded and ranked Carlsbad schools:

• Aviara Oaks Elementary School: A, ranked 24th best public elementary school in San Diego area and 171st best public elementary school in California
• Pacific Rim Elementary School: A, ranked 28th best public elementary school in San Diego area and 205th best public elementary school in California
• Kelly Elementary School: A, ranked 31st best public elementary school in San Diego area and 218th best public elementary school in California
• Magnolia Elementary School: A, ranked 34th best public elementary school in San Diego area and 234th best public elementary school in California
• Poinsettia Elementary School: A, ranked 238th best public elementary school in California
• Buena Vista Elementary School: A, ranked 270th best public elementary school in California
• Hope Elementary School: A, ranked 276th best public elementary school in California
• Calavera Hills Elementary School: A, ranked 453rd best public elementary school in California
• Jefferson Elementary School: A, ranked 632nd best public elementary school in California
• Mission Estancia Elementary School: A, ranked 363rd best public elementary school in California
• Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School: A, ranked 444th best public elementary school in California
• El Camino Creek Elementary School: A, ranked 461st best public elementary school in California
• La Costa Heights Elementary School: A, ranked 578th best public elementary school in San Diego area and 234th best public elementary school in California
• Aviara Oaks Middle School: A, ranked 13th best public middle school in San Diego area and 91st best public middle school in California
• Valley Middle School: A, ranked 19th best public middle school in San Diego area and 164th best public middle school in California
• Calavera Hills Middle School: A, ranked 20th best public middle school in San Diego area and 193rd best public middle school in California
• Sage Creek High School: A+, ranked fifth best public high school in San Diego area and 56th best public high school in California
• La Costa Canyon High School: A+, ranked 14th best public high school in San Diego area and 180th best public high school in California
• Carlsbad High School: A, ranked 23rd best public high school in San Diego area and 180th best public high school in California
• Carlsbad Seaside Academy: B-, did not receive a ranking
• Carlsbad Village Academy: Did not receive a grade or ranking

Related: Carlsbad School Calendar 2019-2020

Niche looked at more than 94,000 public schools, 4,100 private schools and nearly 11,000 school districts across the country. The rankings are meant to help parents and students find schools that best fit their needs.

"Unlike traditional school rankings, which rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance, Niche's rankings provide a real-life view of what it's like to attend a given school," the company said in a news release.

Comments from current students, alumni, and parents are included in the analysis, as well as observations about things like campus life, extracurricular activities, sports options, diversity, and programs for gifted and special needs students.

"Parents and students need more than test-score data," Luke Skurman, CEO at Niche, said in the news release. "They need to understand what it's really like to attend a school before they start the application or registration process."

For the first time, Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, were ranked the top private and public high schools, respectively, in the nation.

2020 top public high schools:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology
2. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
3. Walter Payton College Prep
4. Stuyvesant High School
5. Bergen County Academies

2020 top private high schools:

1. Phillips Exeter Academy
2. St. Mark's School of Texas
3. Phillips Academy
4. The College Preparatory School
5. Trinity School

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.