Orinda School Squeezes Onto 'Best Elementary Schools' CA List

LAMORINDA, CA — An Orinda school is on the list of top 25 public elementary schools in California, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

Wagner Ranch Elementary came in at No. 25.

Two South Bay schools tied for first place in the Golden State.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation's best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Elementary schools are considered either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 in the analysis. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered.

At Wagner Ranch Elementary in Orinda, according to the report, 92 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 88 percent scored at or above that level for reading. The student-teacher ratio is 20-to-1, which is the same as the district as a whole.

Regarding testing, at "Wagner Ranch Elementary, 92 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 88 percent scored at or above that level for reading," according to the report released Tuesday. "Compared with the district, the school did better in math and better in reading, according to this metric. In Orinda Union, 85 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 85 percent tested at or above that level for math.Wagner Ranch Elementary did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state. In California, 43 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 35 percent tested at or above that level for math."

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for recognition.

"The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all," U.S. News said of the report.

The top 25 public elementary schools in California are:

• Murdock-Portal Elementary, San Jose (No. 1-tie)
• William Faria Elementary, Cupertino (No. 1-tie)
• Millikin Elementary, Santa Clara (No. 3)
• North Star Academy, Redwood City (No. 4)
• Argonaut Elementary, Saratoga (No. 5)
• Herbert Hoover Elementary, Palo Alto (No. 6)
• Balboa Gifted/High Ability Magnet Elementary, Northridge (No. 7)
• Bullis Charter, Los Altos (No. 8)
• Ocean Air, San Diego (No. 9)
• Solana Ranch Elementary, San Diego (No. 10)
• Springer Elementary, Mountain View (No. 11)
• Jack L. Weaver Elementary, Los Alamitos (No. 12)
• Yu Ming Charter, Oakland (No. 13)
• Cold Spring Elementary, Santa Barbara (No. 14)
• Beach Elementary, Piedmont (No. 15)
• Overland Avenue Elementary, Los Angeles (No. 16)
• Sage Canyon, San Diego (No. 17)
• La Jolla Elementary, La Jolla (No. 18)
• Cottonwood Creek, Dublin (No. 19)
• Wonderland Avenue Elementary, Los Angeles (No. 20)
• Oak Avenue Elementary, Los Altos (No. 21)
• Central Elementary, Belmont (No. 22)
• Meadows Avenue Elementary, Manhattan Beach (No. 23)
• Scripps Elementary, San Diego (No. 24)
• Wagner Ranch Elementary, Orinda (No. 25)

The rankings methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

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These Are The Best Middle Schools In CA, Says U.S. News & World Report