Best High Schools in California

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Find the best California high schools with SchoolDigger.com! Focused on test scores for accurate rankings, our user-friendly site simplifies your search. Empower your decisions by exploring top-rated schools, only on SchoolDigger.com - the ultimate guide to K-12 schools!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish California test scores and rankings. Other sites use stale test score data that are several years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

The list is updated annually upon the release of the CAST and Smarter Balanced Assessments test scores by the California Department of Education. The most recent update was on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

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School															Students/Teachers											Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)							Ranking (2024 vs 2023)
ID	Rank (of 2323)	School	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Disc Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel from Federal Funds	Total from Federal Funds	Personnel from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Total from State and Local Funds	Average Standard Score (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Rank (2023)	Rank Change from 2023	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)
060175714337	721	Suncoast Preparatory Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	3857 Birch St. #297	Newport Beach	92660	Orange County	Suncoast Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(949) 994-6724	1,067	40	26.9	36.4%	478 (44.8%)	32 (3.0%)	353 (33.1%)	41 (3.8%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	153 (14.3%)								56	72.4	443	278
062271003395	722	Thirty-Second Street USC Performing Arts	Public, Alternative	K-12	822 West 32nd St.	Los Angeles	90007	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 748-0126	878	46	19.1	87.5%	56 (6.4%)	58 (6.6%)	713 (81.2%)	25 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	23 (2.6%)	$9,843							56	60	658	64
063021004992	723	Paloma Valley High	Public	9-12	31375 Bradley Rd.	Menifee	92584	Riverside County	Perris Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 672-6030	2,593	108	23.9	64.8%	562 (21.7%)	164 (6.3%)	1,533 (59.1%)	150 (5.8%)	6 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	174 (6.7%)	$12,192							55.9	57.4	702	21
060006308657	724	Waterford High	Public	9-12	121 South Reinway	Waterford	95386	Stanislaus County	Waterford Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 874-9060	589	30	19.3	80.8%	173 (29.4%)	10 (1.7%)	383 (65.0%)	9 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.7%)	$11,149							55.9	48.8	895	171
062271014102	725	Maywood Center for Enriched Studies	Public	6-12	5800 King Ave.	Maywood	90270	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 210-1412	1,128	57	19.6	83.2%	61 (5.4%)	4 (0.4%)	1,054 (93.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.5%)	$9,148							55.9	58.2	689	36
063462005776	726	El Camino Fundamental High	Public	9-12	4300 El Camino Ave.	Sacramento	95821	Sacramento County	San Juan Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 971-7430	1,296	56	23.1	48.8%	527 (40.7%)	112 (8.6%)	439 (33.9%)	91 (7.0%)	3 (0.2%)	10 (0.8%)	99 (7.6%)	$7,234							55.9	52.3	818	92
063801012644	727	Health Careers Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	931 East Magnolia St.	Stockton	95202	San Joaquin County	Stockton Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 933-7360	404	22	18.1	76.0%	12 (3.0%)	20 (5.0%)	317 (78.5%)	46 (11.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	$10,162							55.9	61	633	94
060213712191	728	Santa Clarita Valley International	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	28060 Hasley Canyon Rd. Ste. 2	Castaic	91384	Los Angeles County	Santa Clarita Valley International District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 705-4820	685	33	20.9	38.1%	248 (36.2%)	54 (7.9%)	278 (40.6%)	34 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (9.5%)								55.8	40.8	1113	385
062394003602	729	Mariposa County High	Public	9-12	5074 Old Hwy.	Mariposa	95338	Mariposa County	Mariposa County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 742-0260	457	28	16.1	64.1%	290 (63.5%)	4 (0.9%)	109 (23.9%)	5 (1.1%)	14 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.3%)	$10,531							55.8	56.5	722	7
062271002998	730	Fairfax Senior High	Public	9-12	7850 Melrose Ave.	Los Angeles	90046	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 370-1200	1,524	86	17.7	83.3%	147 (9.6%)	188 (12.3%)	919 (60.3%)	228 (15.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (2.6%)	$10,529							55.8	53.1	797	67

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New! SchoolDigger ranking lists for CA student subgroups:

Female Students Male Students Asian Students African American Students Hispanic Students Native American Students Pacific Islander Students White Students Multi-racial Students English Language Learner Students Special Education Students Low Socio Economic Status Students Migrant Students Homeless Students Foster Care Students Military Connected Students

About our rankings:

Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on CAST Science, Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy, Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics test scores released by the California Department of Education.
These rankings were last updated on October 10, 2024, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the California Department of Education, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Education.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

State-Administered Standardized Tests: A Comprehensive Guide

Girl in a wheelchair raising her hand in a classroom setting

Understanding an IEP: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Educators

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.