These Are Temecula's Top 12 Elementary Schools, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

TEMECULA, CA — U.S. News researchers have ranked the nation's best public elementary schools, including Temecula area elementary schools, using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education for 2026. Elementary schools are analyzed as either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered.

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% 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 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.

The top 12 public elementary schools in the Temecula Valley Unified School District as ranked by the U.S. News and World Report for 2026were ranked as follows:

1. Alamos Elementary School (Murrieta), #1028 in CA.
2. Red Hawk Elementary, #1050 in CA.
3. Pauba Valley Elementary, #1184 in CA.
4. Paloma Elementary, #1300 in CA.
5. Helen Hunt Jackson Elementary, #1699 in CA.
6. Abby Reinke Elementary, #1707 in CA.
7. Ysabel Barnett Elementary, #1731 in CA.
8. Tony Tobin Elementary, #1883 in CA.
9. Nicolas Valley Elementary, #1953 in CA.
10. Temecula Luiseno Elementary, #2081 in CA.
11. Crowne Hill Elementary, #2129 in CA.
12. Vintage Hills Elementary, #2225 in CA.

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)

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