These Are The Best Middle Schools In CA: U.S. News Ranking

Whitney (Gretchen) High in Cerritos is the best public middle school in California, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2027 ranking of the nation's best public middle schools on the latest publicly available data from state education agencies by RTI International, alongside data from the U.S. Department of Education. In the past, the state reports weren't part of the methodology.

State agency data offers a more thorough evaluation of student achievement in math and reading across every proficiency level, all while taking student background and overall performance on state assessments into consideration.

This year's ranking includes 24,000 public middle schools.

The top 25 public middle schools in California are:

1. Whitney (Gretchen) High, Cerritos
2. Science Academy Stem Magnet, North Hollywood
3. Oxford Academy, Cypress
4. North Star Academy, Redwood City
5. Joaquin Miller Middle, San Jose
6. Elkhorn, Stockton
7. Bullis Charter, Los Altos
8. John F. Kennedy Middle, Cupertino
9. William Hopkins Middle, Fremont
10. Petaluma Accelerated Charter, Petaluma
11. Robert C. Fisler Elementary, Fullerton
12. Cottonwood Creek, Dublin
13. La Entrada Middle, Menlo Park
14. Sam H. Lawson Middle, Cupertino
15. La Canada High, La Canada
16. Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary, San Francisco
17. Huntington Middle, San Marino
18. Mt. Everest Academy, San Diego
19. Ralston Intermediate, Belmont
20. Yu Ming Charter, Oakland
21. Georgina P. Blach Junior High, Los Altos
22. Accelerated Achievement Academy, Hollister
23. Hansen Elementary, Mountain House
24. Redwood Middle, Saratoga
25. Irvine International Academy, Irvine

The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give parents a snapshot of how well schools provide a high-quality education and prepare students for a successful future.