San Mateo School Named 3rd Best Private High School In CA: Niche

SAN MATEO, CA — The Nueva School is the third best private high school in California and the sixth best private high school in the United States, according to the educational platform Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts rankings.

The PK-12 school was founded in 1967 and has a lower school campus in Hillsborough and a high school in San Mateo. The three-time Blue Ribbon Award-winning school is known for a curriculum that favors creative problem solving and social emotional learning.

Niche evaluated 30,800 private schools nationwide for its annual rankings, including 1,433 for the first time. The Nueva School received an overall grade of A+, and received an A+ for its academics, teachers, clubs & activities, and college prep. It received an A for diversity and a C+ for sports.

Peninsula private schools were well-represented on Niche’s California list: Stanford Online High School, the Castilleja School, the Crystal Springs Uplands School, and the Menlo School all ranked in the state’s top 25.

1. Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City
2. Stanford Online High School, Redwood City
3. The Nueva School, San Mateo/Hillsborough
4. Flintridge Preparatory School, La Cañada Flintridge
5. Castilleja School, Palo Alto
6. Crystal Springs Uplands School, Hillsborough
7. The College Preparatory School, Oakland
8. The Bishop’s School, La Jolla
9. Head-Royce School, Oakland
10. Lick-Wilmerding High School, San Francisco
11. Windward School, Los Angeles
12. Sage Hill School, Newport Coast
13. Aquinas International Academy, Chino
14. Renaissance Academy, Arcadia
15. Polytechnic School, Pasadena
16. The Quarry Lane School, Dublin
17. The Thacher School, Ojai
18. Menlo School, Atherton
19. Marlborough School, Los Angeles
20. Cate School, Carpinteria
21. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth
22. Westridge School, Pasadena
23. The Webb Schools, Claremont
24. Marin Academy, San Rafael
25. Fairmont Preparatory Academy, Anaheim

View the full rankings here.

Nationally, the top five private high schools are Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire; Princeton International School of Math and Science in Princeton, New Jersey; Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut; Phillips Academy Andover in Andover, Maryland; and Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, California.

Niche said its rankings, now in the ninth year, differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.
The company said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.

As in previous years, the Best Schools rankings include categories for boarding, charter and magnet schools as well as schools for STEM and the arts among many others.

Earlier this week, Patch reported on the 25 best public high schools in SoCal and the Bay Area, and the best school districts in SoCal and the Bay Area.

Patch is also celebrating the exceptional teachers across the country who are behind these rankings. If you’d like to nominate a teacher to appear on Patch, fill out this form.