California is home to many high-performing schools, and several trusted sources highlight their achievements. U.S. News & World Report ranks the best schools in each state and in the nation, Niche evaluates schools on academics, culture, and community, and the California Department of Education’s Distinguished Schools program honors outstanding performance across the state.

Charter public high schools often stand out on these lists. Here are some of the top-ranked schools.

Top-Ranked Charter Public High Schools in California for the 2025–26 Academic Year

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report publishes annual rankings of elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide. Based on its state-by-state analysis, the list below highlights the top-ranked charter high schools in California.

• Ranked #7: University High School, Fresno

• Ranked #9: Pacific Collegiate Charter, Santa Cruz

• Ranked #16: Western Center Academy

• Ranked #19: Preuss School UCSD, La Jolla

• Ranked #26: Western Sierra Collegiate Academy, Rocklin

• Ranked #28: University Preparatory Academy Charter, San Jose

• Ranked #33: Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana

• Ranked #40: Hawthorne Math & Science Academy

• Ranked #41: Lennox MST Academy, Inglewood

• Ranked #45: Stockton Early College Academy

• Ranked #52: AIMS College Prep, Oakland

• Ranked #69: Chula Vista Learning Community

• Ranked #73: Redwood Academy of Ukiah

• Ranked #74: KIPP King Collegiate, San Lorenzo

• Ranked #78: Stockton Collegiate International

• Ranked #80: Alliance Ted K. Tajima High, Los Angeles

• Ranked #85: Animo Inglewood Charter, Inglewood

• Ranked #90: KIPP San Jose Collegiate, San Jose

• Ranked #98: Alliance Marc & Eva Stern Math and Science, Los Angeles

Niche

Niche is an online platform offering in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, as well as over 140 million reviews and ratings. Below are the top-ranked charter high schools in California based on Niche's data sets and surveys in 2025:

• Ranked #6 – Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana
• Ranked #7 – California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley, Duarte, CA
• Ranked #28 – Granada Hills Charter 
• Ranked #31 – Helix Charter High School, La Mesa
• Ranked #42 – Da Vinci Science, El Segundo
• Ranked #50 – University Preparatory Academy Charter School, San Jose
• Ranked #51 – The Preuss School UC San Diego, La Jolla
• Ranked #72 – High Tech Los Angeles, Lake Balboa
• Ranked #78 – Pacific Collegiate Charter School, Santa Cruz
• Ranked #86 – Escondido Charter High School
• Ranked #90 – Larchmont Charter School, Los Angeles
• Ranked #93 – Palisades Charter High School, Pacific Palisades

California Distinguished Schools 

The California Department of Education honors exceptional schools with the California Distinguished School Award. Below is a list of charter high schools that received the distinction in 2024:

High Schools (Grades 9-12) 

• AIMS College Prep High, Oakland

• Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High, Huntington Park

• Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy High, Los Angeles

• Alliance Leichtman-Levine Family Foundation Environmental Science High,
  Los Angeles

• Alliance Margaret M. Bloomfield Technology Academy High, Huntington Park

• Alliance Patti And Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy, Los Angeles

• Animo Inglewood Charter High, Inglewood

• Animo Jackie Robinson High, Los Angeles

• Animo Leadership High, Inglewood

• Birmingham Community Charter High, Van Nuys

• Camino Nuevo High #2, Los Angeles

• Central City Value, Los Angeles

• Da Vinci Science, El Segundo

• Ednovate - Brio College Prep, Los Angeles

• Ednovate - East College Prep, Los Angeles

• Ednovate - Esperanza College Prep, Los Angeles

• Environmental Charter High, Lawndale

• Gateway High, San Francisco

• Grover Cleveland Charter High, Reseda

• Harmony Magnet Academy, Strathmore

• Health Careers Academy, Stockton

• High Tech High, San Diego

• Inspire School of Arts and Sciences, Chico

• Lennox Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy, Inglewood

• Luis Valdez Leadership Academy, San Jose

• Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts, Marysville

• Math and Science College Preparatory, Los Angeles

• Port of Los Angeles High, San Pedro

• Reedley Middle College High, Reedley

• School for Entrepreneurship and Technology, San Diego

• Stockton Early College Academy, Stockton

• Taft Charter High, Woodland Hills

• Ted K. Tajima High, Los Angeles

• WISH Academy High, Los Angeles

Middle/High Schools (Grades 6-12 or K-12)

• Magnolia Science Academy 2, Van Nuys

• PUC Triumph Charter Academy and PUC Triumph Charter High, Burbank

• University Preparatory, Redding

• Vox Collegiate of Los Angeles, Sylmar

• Western Center Academy, Hemet

• What is a Charter Public School?

California's charter schools are tuition-free, public, and open to all students. California charter public schools have rigorous curriculum programs and unique educational approaches. In exchange for operational freedom and flexibility, charter schools are subject to higher levels of accountability than traditional public schools. Charter schools offer high-quality education options to communities. Learn More >>