Schools
These Are The Top 10 Public High Schools In San Diego County: Rankings
Southern California dominated a new list of the best public high schools in the Golden State. Plus, check out the top 25 schools statewide.

SAN DIEGO, CA — Several San Diego County schools are among the top-ranked public high schools in America, earning an "A" overall grade, according to new rankings from the education platform Niche.
Niche's 2024 Best Schools and Districts rankings include data on 94,058 public schools, 30,809 private schools and 12,192 school districts.
This year's rankings include 7,375 newly ranked public schools.
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Below are the top 10 public high schools in San Diego County:
- Canyon Crest Academy, San Dieguito Union High School District, San Diego
- Torrey Pines High School, San Dieguito Union High School District, San Diego
- Mt. Everest Academy, San Diego Unified School District, San Diego
- Westview High School, Poway Unified School District, San Diego
- Preuss School UCSD, San Diego Unified School District, La Jolla
- Helix Charter High School, Grossmont Union High School District, La Mesa
- Del Norte High School, Poway Unified School District, San Diego
- Sage Creek High School, Carlsbad Unified School District, Carlsbad
- Coronado High School, Coronado Unified School District, Coronado
- Grossmont Middle College High School, Grossmont Union High School District, El Cajon
Below are the top 25 public high schools in Southern California. Twelve are in Los Angeles County, seven are in San Diego County, five are in Orange County and one is in Riverside County, according to Niche:
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- California Academy of Mathematics & Science — Long Beach
- Troy High School — Fullerton
- Canyon Crest Academy — San Diego
- Academy of the Canyons — Santa Clarita
- California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley — Duarte
- Orange County School of the Arts — Santa Ana
- University High School — Irvine
- The Science Academy STEM Magnet — North Hollywood
- Soar High (Students on Academic Rise) — Lancaster
- Torrey Pines High School — San Diego
- Palos Verdes Peninsula High School — Rolling Hills Estates
- Riverside STEM Academy — Riverside
- Girls Academic Leadership Academy: Dr. Michelle King School for STEM — Los Angeles
- Mt. Everest Academy — San Diego
- High Tech Los Angeles — Los Angeles
- Whitney High School — Cerritos
- Oxford Academy — Cypress
- Westview High School — San Diego
- Granada Hills Charter — Granada Hills
- Preuss School UCSD — La Jolla
- Helix Charter High School — La Mesa
- Del Norte High School — San Diego
- Northwood High School — Irvine
- Eunice Sato Academy of Math & Science — Long Beach
- La Cañada High School — La Cañada Flintridge
Niche said its rankings, now in the ninth year, differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.
The company said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they're not familiar with yet.
As in previous years, the Best Schools rankings include categories for boarding, charter and magnet schools as well as schools for STEM and the arts among many others.
Of the overall top 25 public high schools in California, 18 are in Southern California. Here is the full top 25 rankings for all of the Golden State:
- California Academy of Mathematics & Science — Carson
- Troy High School — Fullerton
- Henry M. Gunn High School — Palo Alto
- Canyon Crest Academy — San Diego
- Academy of the Canyons — Santa Clarita
- California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley — Duarte
- University High School — Fresno
- Orange County School of the Arts — Santa Ana
- Palo Alto High School — Palo Alto
- University High School — Irvine
- Saratoga High School — Saratoga
- The Science Academy STEM Magnet — North Hollywood
- Lowell High School — San Francisco
- Soar High (Students on Academic Rise) — Antelope Valley
- Torrey Pines High School — San Diego
- Palos Verdes Penninsula High School — Rolling Hills Estates
- Riverside STEM Academy — Riverside
- Girls Academic Leadership Academy: Dr. Michelle King School For Stem — Los Angeles
- Mt. Everest Academy — San Diego
- Los Altos High School — Los Altos
- Middle College High School — Stockton
- High Tech Los Angeles — Los Angeles
- Whitney High School — Cerritos
- Oxford Academy — Anaheim
- Westview High School — San Diego
Check back with Patch this week for coverage on California's best school districts and best private schools.
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