By Angela Rodriguez<\/p>\n
California has some of the nation\u2019s top public schools, according to Niche, a ranking and review site.<\/p>\n
The site recently released its 2026 list of the Best Schools in America, evaluating schools based on academics, diversity, teachers and college preparation. Niche then graded schools on a scale of A+ through D- on these factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cChoosing the right school is one of the most important decisions a family can make,\u201d Luke Skurman, founder and chief executive of Niche, said in a statement. \u201cOur K-12 rankings bring together rigorous data and real experiences from students, parents and educators.\u201d<\/p>\n
The top public schools in California include elementary, middle and high schools in the Bay Area, San Diego and Los Angeles, according to Niche.<\/p>\n
The K-8 Ross School in Marin made the top 10 public elementary schools list, with a No. 9 ranking, and the middle schools list at No. 10.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud of our school\u2019s success, made possible by dedicated teachers and staff, engaged families and a supportive community,\u201d said David Rice, superintendent of the Ross School District. \u201cTogether, we foster a culture of continuous growth, striving to enhance student learning and help each child reach their full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each school earned an overall Niche grade of A+, reflecting excellence in academics, resources, extracurriculars and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilies can search, filter, and compare schools based on what matters most to them \u2014 from academics and extracurriculars to location and community fit,\u201d Niche said in its statement.<\/p>\n
The top 10 public elementary schools in California for 2026, according to Niche:<\/p>\n
Montecito Union in Santa Barbara
\nGranada Hills Charter in Granada Hills
\nLa Ca\u00f1ada Elementary School in La Ca\u00f1ada Flintridge
\nMt. Everest Academy in San Diego
\nPalm Crest Elementary School in La Ca\u00f1ada Flintridge
\nRancho Learning Center in Arcadia
\nValentine Elementary School in San Marino
\nRenaissance Arts Academy in Los Angeles
\nRoss School in Ross
\nSoleado Elementary School in Rancho Palos Verdes<\/p>\n
The top 10 public middle schools:<\/p>\n
Girls Academic Leadership Academy: Dr. Michelle King School for STEM in Los Angeles
\nThe Science Academy STEM Magnet in North Hollywood
\nRiverside STEM Academy in Riverside
\nGranada Hills Charter in Granada Hills
\nMt. Everest Academy in San Diego
\nThe Preuss School UC San Diego in La Jolla
\nRancho Learning Center in Arcadia
\nFletcher Middle School in Palo Alto
\nRenaissance Arts Academy in Los Angeles
\nRoss School in Ross<\/p>\n
The top 10 public high schools in California in 2026, according to Niche:<\/p>\n
California Academy of Mathematics & Science in Carson
\nGirls Academic Leadership Academy: Dr. Michelle King School for STEM in Los Angeles
\nCalifornia School of the Arts \u2013 San Gabriel Valley in Duarte
\nOrange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana
\nTroy High School in Fullerton
\nCanyon Crest Academy in San Diego
\nLowell High School in San Francisco
\nAcademy of the Canyons in Santa Clarita
\nHenry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto
\nPalo Alto High School in Palo Alto<\/p>\n
Niche based its rankings on the most recent data available from public sources, including the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau combined with millions of reviews from students, parents and residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cKey factors include academics, teachers, resources, facilities, extracurriculars and more,\u201d Niche said.<\/p>\n
The Independent Journal contributed to this report. Distributed by Tribune News Service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Angela Rodriguez California has some of the nation\u2019s top public schools, according to Niche, a ranking and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,15,181,23,992,8530,100,180,993,266,11951,11952],"class_list":["post-13181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-education","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-marin-county","tag-marin-schools","tag-news","tag-newsletter","tag-north-bay","tag-northern-california","tag-ross","tag-ross-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}