Here's How San Rafael Schools Rank: Niche

SAN RAFAEL, CA — San Rafael has multiple top-ranked schools, according to new grades and rankings released by Niche. The ranking and review site gave schools in the area a mix of A, B and C grades.

Here's how Niche graded and ranked San Rafael schools:

• Lucas Valley Elementary School (formerly Dixie Elementary School): A, ranked sixth best public elementary school in Marin County and 471st best public elementary school in California
• Vallecito Elementary School: A-, ranked 13th best public elementary school in Marin County and 776th best public elementary school in California
• Mary E. Silveira Elementary School: A-, ranked 14th best public elementary school in Marin County and 778th best public elementary school in California
• Glenwood Elementary School: A-, ranked 19th best public elementary school in Marin County
• Sun Valley Elementary School: A-, ranked 21st best public elementary school in Marin County
• Coleman Elementary School: B, ranked 32nd best public elementary school in Marin County
• Short Elementary School: C+, did not receive a ranking
• Laurel Dell Elementary School: C, did not receive a ranking
• Bahia Vista Elementary School: C-, did not receive a ranking
• San Pedro Elementary School: C-, did not receive a ranking
• Miller Creek Middle School: A, ranked fifth best public middle school in Marin County and 174th best public middle school in California
• James B. Davidson Middle School: B-, Did not receive a grade or ranking
• Venetia Valley K-8 School: B-, Did not receive a grade or ranking
• Terra Linda High School: B+, ranked seventh best public high school in Marin County and 570th best public high school in California
• San Rafael High School: B+, ranked ninth best public high school in Marin County and 663rd best public high school in California
• Madrone High Continuation: Did not receive a grade or ranking

Related: San Rafael 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.