Best public high schools in California

Stacker
A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear.
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock
- Location: Poway Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,586 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#30. Del Norte High School
A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test.
Achira22 // Shutterstock
- Location: La Mesa, CA
- Enrollment: 2,462 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#29. Helix Charter High School
A student talking to a teacher in the hallway.
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
- Location: La Jolla, CA
- Enrollment: 853 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#28. Preuss School UCSD
A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down.
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
- Location: Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,316 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#27. Mountain View High School
Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera.
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
- Location: Granada Hills, CA
- Enrollment: 5,675 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#26. Granada Hills Charter
A high school student doing a chemical experiment.
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
- Location: Poway Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,351 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#25. Westview High School
A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
- Location: Anaheim Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,289 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#24. Oxford Academy
A student raising their hand in class.
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
- Location: ABC Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,013 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#23. Whitney High School
An empty school hallway lined with red lockers.
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
- Location: Lake Balboa, CA
- Enrollment: 372 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#22. High Tech Los Angeles
A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard.
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
- Location: Lodi Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 301 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#21. Middle College High School
A row of empty desks with notebooks and pencils on them.
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
- Location: Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,136 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#20. Los Altos High School
A hallway lined with green lockers.
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
- Location: San Diego Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 227 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#19. Mt. Everest Academy
A side view of a person using a laptop in the school library.
sirtravelalot // Shutterstock
- Location: Los Angeles Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 735 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#18. Girls Academic Leadership Academy: Dr. Michelle King School for STEM
An empty classroom as viewed from the back.
maroke // Shutterstock
- Location: Riverside Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 662 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#17. Riverside STEM Academy
A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table.
Studio KIWI // Shutterstock
- Location: Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,340 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#16. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera.
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
- Location: San Dieguito Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,649 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#15. Torrey Pines High School
An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables.
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
- Location: Antelope Valley Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 464 (33:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#14. Soar High (Students on Academic Rise)
Students using microscopes in science class.
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
- Location: San Francisco Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,652 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#13. Lowell High School
High school students studying and reading together in their school library.
Joyseulay // Shutterstock
- Location: Los Angeles Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 443 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#12. The Science Academy STEM Magnet
Students raising their hands for class participation.
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
- Location: Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,159 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#11. Saratoga High School
A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook.
Canva
- Location: Irvine Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,097 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#10. University High School
Two students sharing a book.
Canva
- Location: Palo Alto Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,010 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#9. Palo Alto High School
A high school student doing classwork on their laptop.
Canva
- Location: Santa Ana, CA
- Enrollment: 2,217 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#8. Orange County School of the Arts
A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk.
Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock
- Location: Fresno, CA
- Enrollment: 487 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#7. University High School
Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor.
LBeddoe // Shutterstock
- Location: Duarte, CA
- Enrollment: 962 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#6. California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley
Bookshelves at a high school's library.
Canva
- Location: William S. Hart Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 395 (28:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#5. Academy of the Canyons
A stack of spiral noteboooks in front of a wooden background.
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
- Location: San Dieguito Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,346 (28:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#4. Canyon Crest Academy
Two rows of red lockers.
Canva
- Location: Palo Alto Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,868 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#3. Henry M. Gunn High School
Empty desks in a high school classroom.
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
- Location: Fullerton Joint Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,614 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
#2. Troy High School
A closeup of a student taking notes in class.
Canva
- Location: Long Beach Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 667 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

#1. California Academy of Mathematics & Science
LightField Studios // Shutterstock