Many California charter public high schools earned top rankings from U.S. News & World Report and Niche in 2025. Find out which charter public high school received top recognition this year below.

Top Ranked Charter Schools of California High Schools in 2025

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report publishes annual rankings for elementary, middle, and high schools in America. Below are the top-ranked charter high schools in California based on U.S. News state-by-state analysis:

• Ranked #8 – Pacific Collegiate Charter (Santa Cruz)
• Ranked #12 – University High School (Fresno)
• Ranked #18 – Western Center Academy (Hemet)
• Ranked #27 – Orange County School of the Arts (Santa Ana)
• Ranked #28 – Preuss School UCSD (La Jolla)
• Ranked #31 – University Preparatory Academy Charter (San Jose)
• Ranked #34 – Stockton Unified Early College Academy (Stockton)
• Ranked #35 – KIPP King Collegiate High School (San Lorenzo)
• Ranked #41 – Lennox Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy (Lennox)
• Ranked #47 – Hawthorne Math and Science Academy (Hawthorne)
• Ranked #57 – KIPP Navigate College Prep (San Jose)
• Ranked #59 – Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy (Arcata)
• Ranked #63 – KIPP San Jose Collegiate (San Jose)
• Ranked #69 – Alliance Ted K. Tajima High School (Los Angeles)
• Ranked #72 – Stockton Collegiate International Secondary (Stockton)
• Ranked #74 – Western Sierra Collegiate Academy (Rocklin)
• Ranked #86 – Pacific Law Academy (Stockton)
• Ranked #93 – Alliance Marc and 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 (Granada Hills)
• 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 (Escondido)
• Ranked #90 – Larchmont Charter School (Los Angeles)
• Ranked #93 – Palisades Charter High School (Pacific Palisades)

California Distinguished Schools 

Every year, 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 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 >>