Here's How Encinitas Schools Rank: Niche

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

Here's how Niche graded and ranked Encinitas schools:

• Cardiff Elementary School: A, ranked 375th best public elementary school in California
• Ada W. Harris Elementary School: A, ranked 462nd 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
• Flora Vista Elementary School: A, ranked 542nd best public elementary school in California
• La Costa Heights Elementary School: A, ranked 578th best public elementary school in California
• Ocean Knoll Elementary School: A, ranked 645th best public elementary school in California
• Capri Elementary School: A, ranked 657th best public elementary school in California
• Paul Ecke-Central Elementary School: A-, ranked 842nd best public elementary school in California
• Park Dale Lane Elementary School: A-, ranked 901st best public elementary school in California
• Diegueno Middle School: A, ranked fifth best public middle school in San Diego area and 42nd best public middle school in California
• Oak Crest Middle School: A, ranked ninth best public middle school in San Diego area and 68th best public middle school in California
• San Dieguito High Academy: A+, ranked seventh best public high school in San Diego area and 61st 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
• Sunset High School: B-, did not receive a ranking

Related: Encinitas 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.