{"id":435333,"date":"2026-08-17T15:42:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/435333\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T15:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:42:13","slug":"best-public-schools-in-fresno-county-ca-see-list-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/435333\/","title":{"rendered":"Best public schools in Fresno County CA? See list for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students are heading back to school in the Fresno area<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As families prepare for another year of classes and extracurricular activities, they may be wondering about the quality of education available in Fresno County.<\/p>\n

School ranking and review website Niche released its 2026 Best Schools in America<\/a> rankings in the fall, evaluating schools based on factors including academics, diversity, teachers and college preparation.<\/p>\n

Niche then graded schools on a scale of A+ through D-.<\/p>\n

\u201cChoosing the right school<\/a> is one of the most important decisions a family can make,\u201d Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, said in a news release. \u201cOur K-12 rankings bring together rigorous data and real experiences<\/a> from students, parents and educators.\u201d<\/p>\n

This data helps families \u201cchoose schools where their children can succeed academically, thrive socially, and build a strong foundation for their future,\u201d Skurman said.<\/p>\n

As the 2026-27 school year begins, here\u2019s a look at the county\u2019s top public elementary, middle and high schools, according to Niche:<\/p>\n

What are top public school in Fresno County?<\/p>\n

Hume Lake Charter School<\/a> in Hume was one of the highest rated schools in Fresno County in 2026, topping Niche\u2019s lists of the best public elementary and middle schools in the area.<\/p>\n

Niche also named the school at 64144 Hume Lake Road the best Fresno County public school<\/a> serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade.<\/p>\n

Hume got an overall A+ grade from Niche, with high scores for teachers, academics and administration.<\/p>\n

Hume Lake Charter School<\/a> serves 45 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, with a student-teacher ratio of six to one.<\/p>\n

In 2026, the premier public high school in Fresno County was University High School<\/a> in Fresno.<\/p>\n

University High is on the campus of Fresno State at 2611 East Matoian Way in Fresno.<\/p>\n

The high school has 500 students in ninth through 12th grades with a student-teacher ratio of 24 to 1.<\/p>\n

According to state test scores, 82% of students at University High are at least proficient in math, and 95% in reading.<\/p>\n

University High<\/a> landed at No. 13 on Niche\u2019s list of the best public high schools in California<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clovis North High School<\/a> claimed second place on Niche\u2019s 2026 list of the top high schools in the county.<\/p>\n

Clovis High was the top-rated high school in Fresno County for STEM, according to Niche.<\/p>\n

Niche named Kingsburg Joint Union High School District<\/a> earned the No. 1 school district in the Fresno area.<\/a><\/p>\n

Clovis Unified School District<\/a> took second place.<\/p>\n

\"The The best elementary schools in Fresno County include campuses in Big Creek, Clovis and Hume. Fresno Bee file What are the top elementary schools in Fresno County?<\/p>\n

These were the top 10 public elementary schools<\/a> in Fresno County in 2026, according to Niche:<\/p>\n

Hume Lake Charter School<\/a> in HumeBig Creek Elementary School<\/a> in Big CreekJames S. Fugman Elementary School<\/a> in FresnoHarold L. Woods Elementary School<\/a> in ClovisLiberty Elementary School<\/a> in FresnoGarfield Elementary School<\/a> in ClovisCopper Hills Elementary School<\/a> in FresnoDry Creek Elementary School<\/a> in ClovisRiverview Elementary School<\/a> in FresnoValley Oak Elementary School<\/a> in Fresno. \"Garfield Garfield Elementary School in Clovis Unified School District is one of the top 10 public elementary schools in Fresno County in 2026, according to Niche. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com What are the best middle schools in Fresno County?<\/p>\n

Niche said these were the top 10 public middle schools<\/a> in Fresno County in 2026:<\/p>\n

Hume Lake Charter School<\/a> in HumeBig Creek Elementary School<\/a> in Big CreekGranite Ridge Intermediate School in<\/a> FresnoAlta Sierra Intermediate School<\/a> in ClovisClay Elementary School<\/a> in KingburgQuail Lake Environmental Charter School<\/a> in ClovisReyburn Intermediate School<\/a> in ClovisKastner Intermediate School<\/a> in FresnoClark Intermediate School<\/a> in ClovisEnterprise Alternative School<\/a> in Clovis \"University University High School in Fresno. BEE FILE PHOTO Fresno Bee Staff Photo What are the best high schools in Fresno County?<\/p>\n

Here are the top 10 public high schools for 2026 in Fresno, Niche said:<\/p>\n

University High School<\/a> in Fresno<\/a>Clovis North High School<\/a> in FresnoDesign Science Middle College High School<\/a> in FresnoHume Lake Charter School<\/a> in HumeBuchanan High School<\/a> in ClovisClovis West High School<\/a> in Fresno<\/a>Central High School<\/a> in FresnoReedley Middle College High School<\/a> in ReedleyCareer Technical Education Charter School<\/a> in FresnoEnterprise Alternative School<\/a> in ClovisHow did Niche rank local schools?<\/p>\n

Niche based its rankings on the most recent data available from public sources, including the U.S. Department of Education<\/a> and the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a> combined with millions of reviews from students, parents and residents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cKey factors include academics, teachers, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, and more,\u201d Niche said.<\/p>\n

Loading\u2026<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Gagandeep Singh<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Gagandeep Singh is a service journalism reporter for The Fresno Bee. He holds a master\u2019s degree in politics and global affairs from Columbia University. Prior to working at The Bee, he worked as a freelancer for CalMatters, BBC News and the Los Angeles Times. He focuses on migration, education, criminal justice and the South Asian diaspora in California.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Students are heading back to school in the Fresno area. As families prepare for another year of classes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413603,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-435333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435333","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=435333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}