These Are The Best Middle Schools In CA: U.S. News Ranking

Whitney (Gretchen) High, a school serving students in seventh through 12th grades in Cerritos, is the best public middle school in California, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation's best public middle schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. The researchers ranked more than 23,000 middle schools in its 2026 report, which was released Tuesday.

The top 25 public middle schools in California are:

• Whitney (Gretchen) High, Cerritos (No. 1)
• Science Academy Stem Magnet, North Hollywood (No. 2)
• Oxford Academy, Cypress (No. 3)
• Petaluma Accelerated Charter, Petaluma (No. 4)
• Bullis Charter, Los Altos (No. 5)
• North Star Academy, Redwood City (No. 6)
• Elkhorn, Stockton (No. 7)
• John F. Kennedy Middle, Cupertino (No. 8)
• William Hopkins Middle, Fremont (No. 9)
• Joaquin Miller Middle, San Jose (No. 10)
• Vista Verde, Irvine (No. 11)
• Georgina P. Blach Junior High, Los Altos (No. 12)
• Sam H. Lawson Middle, Cupertino (No. 13)
• Redwood Middle, Saratoga (No. 14)
• Huntington Middle, San Marino (No. 15)
• La Canada High, La Canada (No. 16)
• Yu Ming Charter, Oakland (No. 17)
• R. Roger Rowe Middle, Rancho Santa Fe (No. 18)
• Pacific Trails Middle, San Diego (No. 19)
• Cottonwood Creek, Dublin (No. 20)
• Riverside Stem Academy, Riverside (No. 21)
• Robert C. Fisler Elementary, Fullerton (No. 22)
• La Entrada Middle, Menlo Park (No. 23)
• Hansen Elementary, Mountain House (No. 24)
• Ralston Intermediate, Belmont (No. 25)

The ranking methodology considered student proficiency in math and reading/language arts state assessments, adjusting for student backgrounds and core subject achievements. In cases of ties, student-teacher ratios were used as a deciding factor.

• Related: These Are The Top Elementary Schools In CA, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give parents a snapshot of how well schools provide a high-quality education and prepare students for a successful future, LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News, said in a news release.

Also see:

• These Are The Top Elementary Schools In CA, U.S. News Says In New Ranking
• These Are The Best School Districts In CA, New Ranking Says
• Here Are The Best Colleges In California, According To Niche