Schools
These Are The Top 25 Public High Schools In The Bay Area: New Rankings
Education platform Niche has ranked every public school in California. How does your child's school stack up?
![Niche said its rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance by also including input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from the U.S. Dept. of Education and other sources.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22423906/20230926/054251/styles/patch_image/public/top-25-high-schools-bay-area-2024-niche-list-rankings___26173954369.jpg)
BAY AREA, CA — Several San Francisco Bay Area schools are among the best public schools in California and across the nation, according to new rankings from the education platform Niche.
Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts rankings include data on 94,058 public schools, 30,809 private schools and 12,192 school districts.
This year’s rankings include 7,375 newly ranked public schools, including 312 public high schools in the Bay Area.
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Here are the Top 25 public high schools in the Bay Area, according to Niche:
- Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto Unified School District
- Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto Unified School District
- Saratoga High School, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District
- Lowell High School, San Francisco Unified School District
- Los Altos High School, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
- Mountain View High School, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
- Redwood High School, Larkspur; Tamalpais Union High School District
- University Preparatory Academy Charter School, San Jose
- Lynbrook High School, San Jose; Fremont Union High School District
- Campolindo High School, Moraga; Acalanes Union High School District
- Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton Unified School District
- Cupertino High School, Cupertino; Fremont Union High School District
- Miramonte High School, Orinda; Acalanes Union High School District
- Homestead High School, Cupertino; Fremont Union High School District
- Foothill High School, Pleasanton Unified School District
- Aragon High School, San Mateo Union High School District
- Mills High School, Millbrae; San Mateo Union High School District
- Mission Early College High, Santa Clara Unified School District
- Piedmont High School, Piedmont City Unified School District
- Carlmont High School, Belmont; Sequoia Union High School District
- Burlingame High School, San Mateo Unified School District
- Alameda Science & Technology Institute, Alameda Unified School District
- San Mateo High School, San Mateo Union High School District
- Los Gatos High School, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District
- Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
Niche also recognized the most diverse high schools in the Bay Area, the schools with the best teachers, the best schools for college prep, the largest schools and Niche standout schools.
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According to Niche, the No. 1 most diverse was Valley High School in Dublin, while the No. 1 Bay Area school with the best teachers was University Preparatory Academy Charter School in San Jose. The No. 1 Bay Area school for college prep was Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto; the No. 1 largest school in the Bay Area was Pittsburg Senior High School in Pittsburg, and the No. 1 standout school in the Bay Area was Oakland Charter High School in Oakland.
As for Niche's Top 25 public high schools in California — including five in the Bay Area — here they are:
- California Academy of Mathematics & Science, Long Beach Unified School District
- Troy High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District
- Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto Unified School District
- Canyon Crest Academy, San Dieguito Union High School District, San Diego
- Academy of the Canyons, William S. Hart Union High School District, Santa Clarita
- California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley, Duarte
- University High School, Fresno
- Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana
- Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto Unified School District
- University High School, Irvine Unified School District
- Saratoga High School, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District
- The Science Academy STEM Magnet, Los Angeles Unified School District
- Lowell High School, San Francisco Unified School District
- Soar High (Students On Academic Rise), Lancaster; Antelope Valley Union High School District
- Torrey Pines High School, San Diego; San Dieguito Union High School District
- Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates; Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
- Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside Unified School District
- Girls Academic Leadership Academy: Dr. Michelle King School For STEM, Los Angeles Unified School District
- Mt. Everest Academy, San Diego Unified School District
- Los Altos High School, Los Altos; Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
- Middle College High School, Stockton; Lodi Unified School District
- High Tech Los Angeles, Lake Balboa
- Whitney High School, Cerritos, ABC Unified School District
- Oxford Academy, Cypress; Anaheim Union High School District
- Westview High School, San Deigo; Poway Unified High School District
You can view the full rankings here.
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.
Check back with Patch this week for coverage on California’s best school districts and best private schools.
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