Best High Schools in California

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Find the best California high schools with SchoolDigger.com! Focused on test scores for accurate rankings, our user-friendly site simplifies your search. Empower your decisions by exploring top-rated schools, only on SchoolDigger.com - the ultimate guide to K-12 schools!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish California test scores and rankings. Other sites use stale test score data that are several years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

The list is updated annually upon the release of the CAST and Smarter Balanced Assessments test scores by the California Department of Education. The most recent update was on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

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School	Students/Teachers	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)	Ranking (2024 vs 2023)
060229414433	1631	San Diego Mission Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	9512 Chesapeake Dr.	San Diego	92123	San Diego County	San Diego Mission Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(833) 772-5106	151	10	15.8	63.6%	33 (21.9%)	13 (8.6%)	64 (42.4%)	3 (2.0%)	8 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (18.5%)		21.7	32.9	1334	297
060182710720	1632	Bay Area Technology	Public, Charter	6-12	8251 Fontaine St.	Oakland	94605	Alameda County	Bay Area Technology District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 382-9932	349	13	27.7	80.5%	5 (1.4%)	86 (24.6%)	226 (64.8%)	8 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.0%)		21.7	24.5	1578	54
060750000712	1633	Carlsbad Village Academy	Public	10-12	3557 Monroe St.	Carlsbad	92008	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5100	59	5	11.9	59.3%	26 (44.1%)	2 (3.4%)	30 (50.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	$9,295	21.6	53.8	788	845
060165612827	1634	Downtown College Prep - Alum Rock	Public, Charter	6-12	1776 Educational Park Dr.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Downtown College Prep - Alum Rock District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 942-7000	529	15	36.2	75.2%	5 (0.9%)	7 (1.3%)	473 (89.4%)	28 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.0%)		21.6	26.7	1515	119
060210814037	1635	San Diego Workforce Innovation High	Public, Charter	9-12	2 Euclid Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	San Diego Workforce Innovation High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 432-4690	2,332	97	24	75.5%	407 (17.5%)	134 (5.7%)	1,585 (68.0%)	28 (1.2%)	13 (0.6%)	7 (0.3%)	151 (6.5%)		21.6	17.6	1762	127
062064014516	1636	Elevated Digital Learning Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	1201 Lyons Ave.	South Lake Tahoe	96150	El Dorado County	Lake Tahoe Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 541-2850	56	8	7.4	50.0%	25 (44.6%)	2 (3.6%)	18 (32.1%)	1 (1.8%)	3 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (10.7%)		21.5	36.7	1236	400
060224814228	1637	Audeo Charter School III	Public, Charter	6-12	200 East Via Rancho Pkwy.	Escondido	92025	San Diego County	Audeo Charter School III District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 678-2050	111	4	30.7	60.4%	19 (17.1%)	4 (3.6%)	77 (69.4%)	4 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.3%)		21.5	27	1505	132
061932002325	1638	Kelseyville High	Public	9-12	5480 Main St.	Kelseyville	95451	Lake County	Kelseyville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 279-4923	540	30	18.1	64.4%	228 (42.2%)	3 (0.6%)	247 (45.7%)	6 (1.1%)	13 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.0%)	$9,251	21.5	34.6	1286	352
060250114440	1639	Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1704 Cape Horn	Julian	92036	San Diego County	Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(833) 619-2378	379	16	23.8	70.4%	16 (4.2%)	1 (0.3%)	353 (93.1%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)		21.5	16.2	1802	163
060152312375	1640	Encore Junior/Senior High School for the Perf and Visual Arts	Public, Charter	7-12	16955 Lemon St.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Encore Junior/Senior High School for the Perf and Visual Ar	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 956-2632	630	35	18.1	51.7%	141 (22.4%)	111 (17.6%)	341 (54.1%)	9 (1.4%)	7 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	17 (2.7%)		21.4	28	1470	170

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New! SchoolDigger ranking lists for CA student subgroups:

Female Students Male Students Asian Students African American Students Hispanic Students Native American Students Pacific Islander Students White Students Multi-racial Students English Language Learner Students Special Education Students Low Socio Economic Status Students Migrant Students Homeless Students Foster Care Students Military Connected Students

About our rankings:

Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on CAST Science, Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy, Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics test scores released by the California Department of Education.
These rankings were last updated on October 10, 2024, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the California Department of Education, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Education.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

Student-Teacher Ratios and their Impact on Class Sizes & School Selection

Per-Pupil Spending: Understanding the Breakdown of Federal, State, and Local Funds

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

School															Students/Teachers											Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)							Ranking (2024 vs 2023)
ID	Rank (of 2323)	School	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Disc Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel from Federal Funds	Total from Federal Funds	Personnel from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Total from State and Local Funds	Average Standard Score (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Rank (2023)	Rank Change from 2023	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)
060229414433	1631	San Diego Mission Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	9512 Chesapeake Dr.	San Diego	92123	San Diego County	San Diego Mission Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(833) 772-5106	151	10	15.8	63.6%	33 (21.9%)	13 (8.6%)	64 (42.4%)	3 (2.0%)	8 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (18.5%)								21.7	32.9	1334	297
060182710720	1632	Bay Area Technology	Public, Charter	6-12	8251 Fontaine St.	Oakland	94605	Alameda County	Bay Area Technology District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 382-9932	349	13	27.7	80.5%	5 (1.4%)	86 (24.6%)	226 (64.8%)	8 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.0%)								21.7	24.5	1578	54
060750000712	1633	Carlsbad Village Academy	Public	10-12	3557 Monroe St.	Carlsbad	92008	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5100	59	5	11.9	59.3%	26 (44.1%)	2 (3.4%)	30 (50.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	$9,295							21.6	53.8	788	845
060165612827	1634	Downtown College Prep - Alum Rock	Public, Charter	6-12	1776 Educational Park Dr.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Downtown College Prep - Alum Rock District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 942-7000	529	15	36.2	75.2%	5 (0.9%)	7 (1.3%)	473 (89.4%)	28 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.0%)								21.6	26.7	1515	119
060210814037	1635	San Diego Workforce Innovation High	Public, Charter	9-12	2 Euclid Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	San Diego Workforce Innovation High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 432-4690	2,332	97	24	75.5%	407 (17.5%)	134 (5.7%)	1,585 (68.0%)	28 (1.2%)	13 (0.6%)	7 (0.3%)	151 (6.5%)								21.6	17.6	1762	127
062064014516	1636	Elevated Digital Learning Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	1201 Lyons Ave.	South Lake Tahoe	96150	El Dorado County	Lake Tahoe Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 541-2850	56	8	7.4	50.0%	25 (44.6%)	2 (3.6%)	18 (32.1%)	1 (1.8%)	3 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (10.7%)								21.5	36.7	1236	400
060224814228	1637	Audeo Charter School III	Public, Charter	6-12	200 East Via Rancho Pkwy.	Escondido	92025	San Diego County	Audeo Charter School III District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 678-2050	111	4	30.7	60.4%	19 (17.1%)	4 (3.6%)	77 (69.4%)	4 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.3%)								21.5	27	1505	132
061932002325	1638	Kelseyville High	Public	9-12	5480 Main St.	Kelseyville	95451	Lake County	Kelseyville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 279-4923	540	30	18.1	64.4%	228 (42.2%)	3 (0.6%)	247 (45.7%)	6 (1.1%)	13 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.0%)	$9,251							21.5	34.6	1286	352
060250114440	1639	Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1704 Cape Horn	Julian	92036	San Diego County	Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(833) 619-2378	379	16	23.8	70.4%	16 (4.2%)	1 (0.3%)	353 (93.1%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)								21.5	16.2	1802	163
060152312375	1640	Encore Junior/Senior High School for the Perf and Visual Arts	Public, Charter	7-12	16955 Lemon St.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Encore Junior/Senior High School for the Perf and Visual Ar	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 956-2632	630	35	18.1	51.7%	141 (22.4%)	111 (17.6%)	341 (54.1%)	9 (1.4%)	7 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	17 (2.7%)								21.4	28	1470	170