List of The Top Public High Schools In California

California is known for some of the good high schools in the United States. The largest city Los Angeles has several of the best high schools under various school districts.

In this article, I want to highlight the top public high schools in California in terms of their rankings according to leading online educational researchers, niche.

Before then, let’s look into the educational landscape of California State over the years. In the American educational system, the state of California ranked twenty of the 50 states.

This not-so-good ranking of the state may be partly due to the high cost of leaving most school districts unable to afford more teachers, staff, and services. This ultimately leads to larger classes with less teacher support.

Moving on to our top public high schools in California, the state of California has traditional high public schools, charter, and magnet public high schools. My compilation of the top public high schools in California is based on these three categories of public schools.

What are the top public high schools in California?

While the list of top public high schools in California is about 99. I have only captured the top 10 for you and you can head here to see the full list.

Below are the top public high schools in California in no particular order;

 1. Henry M. Gunn High School;

top public high schools in california

Henry M. Gunn high school is the leading top public high school in California. It has 1,936 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 19 to 1. The school is ranked number 2 in the best college prep. public high schools in California

2. Troy High School;

top public high schools in california

Coming in 2nd place is Troy high school. It is a public high school located in FULLERTON, CA. The school has 2,614 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 23 to 1.

They are currently ranked number 2 in the best college prep. public high schools for California.

3. Canyon Crest Academy;

top public high schools in california

The 3rd is the Canyon Crest academy high school in the San Dieguito union high school district. The school has an enrollment of 2,503 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 28 to 1.

The school is ranked 3rd in the best college prep. public high schools in California.

4. California Academy of Mathematics & Science;

top public high schools in california

California Academy of Mathematics & Science is the 4th best public school in California. The school is a public magnet high school located in CARSON, CA. It has 669 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 27 to 1.

The school is currently ranked number 1 in the best magnet high school in California.

5. Orange County School;

top public high schools in california

The Orange County public school is a tuition-free, donation-dependent public charter school. The school is ranked number 1 of the best Charter high schools in California and number 2 of the best magnet high schools in California.

It is the 5th best public high school in California.

6. Palo Alto High School;

top public high schools in california

In 6th place is Palo Alto high school. The school is located in PALO ALTO, CA. It has 2,085 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 18 to 1.

The school is ranked 6th among the best college prep. public high schools in California and 31st among the best high schools for STEM.

7. Riverside STEM Academy;

Top 10 High Schools In California

Riverside STEM Academy is the 7th best public high school in California, the public school is located in RIVERSIDE, CA. It has 655 students in grades 5-12.

8. Saratoga High School;

top public high schools in california

Saratoga High School is a public school located in SARATOGA, CA. It is the 8th-best public high school in California. The school has 1,159 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 21 to 1.

9. University High School;

top public high schools in california

The 9th best public high school in California is the University High School, a public school located in IRVINE, CA. It has 1,708 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 26 to 1.

The school is ranked the 35th best high school for STEM.

10. Los Altos High School;

top public high schools in california

Los Altos High School is 10th and last on my list of top public high schools in California. The public school is located in LOS ALTOS, CA. It has 2,209 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 19 to 1.

The school ranked 42nd in the best schools for STEM and 14th in the best college prep. public high school in California.

The top public high schools in California are;

  1. Henry M. Gunn High School
  2. Troy High School
  3. Canyon Crest Academy
  4. California Academy of Mathematics & Science
  5. Orange County School
  6. Palo Alto High School
  7. Riverside STEM Academy
  8. Saratoga High School
  9. University High School
  10. Los Altos High School

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