California · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best-Resourced Public Schools in California

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score, based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

Compiled from official source data by .
62/100
Top score
C+
Top grade
57/100
Avg score (top 50)
50
Schools ranked

The ranking in one line

Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep in Sacramento is California's top-resourced public school, scoring 62/100 on the NCES resource index.

62/100
top score (grade C+)
11
schools at the top grade (C+)
57/100
average across the top 50
# School GradeScore
1 Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Sacramento C+ 62
2 Allen (Ella B.) Elementary Bonita C+ 62
3 California Pacific Charter - Sonoma Guerneville C+ 62
4 Douglas City Elementary Douglas City C+ 61
5 Anderson New Technology High Anderson C+ 61
6 Excel Academy Charter Irvine C+ 60
7 Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary Folsom C+ 60
8 Advanced Learning Academy Santa Ana C+ 60
9 California Pacific Charter - San Diego Costa Mesa C+ 60
10 Uncharted Shores Academy Crescent City C+ 60
11 South Hillsborough Hillsborough C+ 60
12 Circle of Independent Learning Fremont C 59
13 American River Collegiate Academy Orangevale C 59
14 Hickman Charter Hickman C 58
15 Centennial Elementary Bakersfield C 58
16 Piedmont Middle Piedmont C 58
17 Goethe International Charter Los Angeles C 58
18 North Hillsborough Hillsborough C 58
19 Hilda L. Solis Lrng Acad Sch of Tech Business and Ed Los Angeles C 58
20 College Connection Academy San Jose C 58
21 University Pathways Public Service Academy Los Angeles C 58
22 Beverly Vista Middle Beverly Hills C 57
23 Rosedale-North Elementary Bakersfield C 57
24 Davis Middle Compton C 57
25 Kellogg Elementary Goleta C 57
26 Mountain View Elementary Santa Barbara C 57
27 Ferndale High Ferndale C 57
28 Katherine Johnson Stem Academy Los Angeles C 57
29 Maxwell Sr High Maxwell C 57
30 Beverly Hills High Beverly Hills C 56
31 Piedmont High Piedmont C 56
32 Pacific Grove High Pacific Grove C 56
33 Wallis Annenberg High Los Angeles C 56
34 Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary Thousand Oaks C 56
35 Great Western Elementary Reedley C 56
36 Richland Avenue Elementary Los Angeles C 56
37 West Hillsborough Hillsborough C 56
38 American River Charter Georgetown C 56
39 Carl Hankey Middle Mission Viejo C 56
40 Excelsior Charter School Corona-Norco Corona C 56
41 Oak Park High Oak Park C 55
42 El Segundo Middle El Segundo C 55
43 Monte Vista Elementary La Crescenta C 55
44 Almondale Elementary Bakersfield C 55
45 Mangini Ranch Elementary Folsom C 55
46 Ellen Fletcher Middle Palo Alto C 55
47 Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior High Davis C 55
48 Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Middle Sacramento C 55
49 Longfellow Arts and Technology Middle Berkeley C 55
50 Oak Chan Elementary Folsom C 55

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in California? ▼

The highest-ranked school in California is Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep in Sacramento with a quality score of 62/100 (grade C+). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for California

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.