California's charter public middle schools earned top rankings in 2024 from U.S. News & World Report and Niche. In addition, the California Department of Education honored many charter public middle schools with the prestigious California Distinguished School Award.
Find out which charter public middle school received state and/or national recognition this year in the lists below.
California's Top Ranked Charter Middle Schools in 2024
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 middle schools in California based on U.S. News & World Report's state-by-state analysis:
- Ranked #1 – Petaluma Accelerated Charter (Petaluma)
- Ranked #8 – Bullis Charter (Los Altos)
- Ranked #14 – Orange County School of the Arts (Santa Ana)
- Ranked #27 – Hollister Prep (Hollister)
- Ranked #42 – Western Center Academy (Hemet)
- Ranked #43 – Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County (Mission Viejo)
- Ranked #51 – Pacific Collegiate Charter (Santa Cruz)
- Ranked #64 – College Preparatory Middle (Spring Valley)
- Ranked #67 – Arroyo Vista Charter (Chula Vista)
- Ranked #77 – Charter School of Morgan Hill (Morgan Hill)
- Ranked #83 – San Carlos Charter Learning Center (San Carlos)
- Ranked #85 – Discovery Charter (Chula Vista)
- Ranked #90 – Mission Preparatory (San Francisco)
- Ranked #92 – John McCandless STEM Charter (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 middle schools in California based on Niche's data sets and surveys in 2024:
- Ranked #5 – Granada Hills Charter School (Granada Hills)
- Ranked #6 – Preuss School UCSD (La Jolla)
- Ranked #10 – Western Center Academy (Hemet)
- Ranked #12 – Yu Ming Charter School (Oakland)
- Ranked #14 – Larchmont Charter School (West Hollywood)
- Ranked #26 – Alameda Community Learning Center (Alameda)
- Ranked #31 – The New School of San Francisco (San Francisco)
- Ranked #32 – Bullis Charter School (Los Altos)
- Ranked #47 – Renaissance Arts Academy (Los Angeles)
- Ranked #71 – University Preparatory (Redding)
- Ranked #75 – Charter School of Morgan Hill (Morgan Hill)
- Ranked #77 – Literacy First Charter School (El Cajon)
- Ranked #82 – Goethe International Charter School (Los Angeles)
- Ranked #87 – New West Charter School (Los Angeles)
- Ranked #95 – Old Town Academy K-8 Charter School (San Diego)
- Ranked #98 – Oxford Preparatory Academy (Mission Viejo)
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 middle schools that received the distinction in 2024:
Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)
- Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle (Northridge)
- Alliance Jack H. Skirball Middle (Los Angeles)
- Animo Ellen Ochoa Charter Middle (Los Angeles)
- Downtown Charter Academy (Oakland)
- El Rancho Charter School (Anaheim)
- Equitas Academy #2 (Los Angeles)
- Equitas Academy 4 (Los Angeles)
- Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle (Tarzana)
- High Tech Middle North County (San Marcos)
- ICEF Vista Middle Academy (Los Angeles)
- KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy (San Diego)
- KIPP Heritage Academy (San Jose)
- KIPP Summit Academy (San Lorenzo)
- Magnolia Science Academy (San Diego)
- PUC Lakeview Charter Academy (Lakeview Terrace)
- Santiago Charter Middle School (Orange)
- Sherman Thomas STEM Academy (Madera)
- Twin Hills Charter Middle (Sebastopol)
- Wilder's Preparatory Academy Charter Middle (Inglewood)
Middle/High Schools (Grades 6-12 or Grades 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 >>
