The Top 25 High Schools In CA For 2025-26: U.S. News & World Report

The 2025-2026 Best High School Rankings, released Tuesday, includes specialized STEM and charter rankings alongside the traditional state, district and metro area categories.

Nearly 24,000 public high schools were evaluated, and nearly 18,000 were ranked.

The top 25 public high schools in California are:

1. Whitney High School, Cerritos (ABC Unified School District)
2. Oxford Academy, Cypress (Anaheim Union High School District)
3. Science Academy Stem Magnet, North Hollywood (Los Angeles Unified School District)
4. Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy, Wilmington (Los Angeles Unified School District)
5. California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Carson (Long Beach Unified School District)
6. Riverside Stem Academy, Riverside (Riverside Unified School District)
7. University High School, Fresno (University High District)
8. Dr. T.J. Owens Gilroy Early College Academy, Gilroy (Gilroy Unified School District)
9. Pacific Collegiate Charter, Santa Cruz (Pacific Collegiate Charter District)
10. Lynbrook High School, San Jose (Fremont Union High District)
11. Lowell High School, San Francisco (San Francisco Unified School District)
12. Mission San Jose High School, Fremont (Fremont Unified School District)
13. Eunice Sato Academy of Math & Science, Long Beach (Long Beach Unified School District)
14. Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego (San Dieguito Union High District)
15. Monta Vista High School, Cupertino (Fremont Union High District)
16. Western Center Academy, Hemet (Hemet Unified School District)
17. Girls Academic Leadership Academy Dr. Michelle King School STEM, Los Angeles (Los Angeles Unified School District)
18. Technology High School, Rohnert Park (Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District)
19. Preuss School UCSD, La Jolla (Preuss School UCSD District)
20. La Canada High School, La Canada (La Canada Unified School District)
21. University Preparatory, Victorville (Victor Valley Union High District)
22. West Campus High School, Sacramento (Sacramento City Unified School District)
23. Troy High School, Fullerton (Fullerton Joint Union High District)
24. Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto (Palo Alto Unified School District)
25. Saratoga High School, Saratoga (Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High District)

The 2025-2026 Best High Schools national rankings identify top public schools based on six key performance indicators, including student achievement on state-required assessments, strong graduation rates, and college readiness measures.

Schools are evaluated on how effectively they serve all students, including underserved populations, with college readiness specifically measured through student participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

The rankings consider curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes as well. U.S. News worked with RTI International, a global research firm, to implement the comprehensive ranking methodology, using the most current data from the 2022-2023 school year.

National Ranking - Top 10

1. BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
2. Signature School (Indiana)
3. Central Magnet School (Tennessee)
4. Davidson Academy (Nevada)
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virginia)
6. Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (New Mexico)
7. Hass Hall Bentonville (Arkansas)
8. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School (Pennsylvania)
9. The School for the Talented and Gifted (Texas)
10. Aiken Scholars Academy (South Carolina)