Best private high schools in California
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Best private high schools in California
Private schools, in some form, existed long before the concept of free public education in America. Students were often educated through church-sponsored programs, private tutoring, and boarding schools. Public schools on a large scale were proposed by Horace Mann in the 1830s. The concept gained momentum, and by 1870, nearly 80% of kids aged 5 to 14 were enrolled in public schools. Today, according to the most recent enrollment data, about 4.7 million students—or 10% of students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12—are enrolled in private schools.
Private schools are widely marketed as a better option when compared to public schools, and private school proponents will often point to standardized test scores to substantiate this claim. While private school students have consistently outperformed public school students on standardized tests, recent studies have shown private schools themselves are not the primary driver of success, nor are standardized tests the most accurate measure of student well-being.
Researchers have found that student success is more directly related to family attributes, like having parents who graduated from college, and higher incomes—more common amongst private school students than public school students—than simply whether the students attended a public or private school.
Still, private schools provide unique advantages and opportunities like smaller class sizes, more individualized instruction, and greater curricular flexibility. To better understand how private school offerings vary across the country, Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in California using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students.
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#30. Oakwood School
– Enrollment: 651 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: PK, K-12
– City: Morgan Hill
– Niche grade: A+
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#29. The Athenian School
– Enrollment: 536 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 6-12
– City: Danville
– Niche grade: A+
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#28. BASIS Independent Silicon Valley
– Enrollment: 1,190 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: K-12
– City: San Jose
– Niche grade: A+
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#27. Urban School of San Francisco
– Enrollment: 420 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: San Francisco
– Niche grade: A+
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#26. Marin Academy
– Enrollment: 440 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: San Rafael
– Niche grade: A+
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#25. Francis Parker School
– Enrollment: 1,320 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: K-12
– City: San Diego
– Niche grade: A+
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#24. Chadwick School
– Enrollment: 867 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: K-12
– City: Palos Verdes Peninsula
– Niche grade: A+
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#23. The Webb Schools
– Enrollment: 404 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: Claremont
– Niche grade: A+
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#22. Menlo School
– Enrollment: 795 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 6-12
– City: Atherton
– Niche grade: A+
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#21. The Branson School
– Enrollment: 345 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: Ross
– Niche grade: A+
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#20. Lick-Wilmerding High School
– Enrollment: 490 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: San Francisco
– Niche grade: A+
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#19. San Francisco University High School
– Enrollment: 410 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: San Francisco
– Niche grade: A+
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#18. Westridge School
– Enrollment: 550 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 4-12
– City: Pasadena
– Niche grade: A+
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#17. Marlborough School
– Enrollment: 533 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 7-12
– City: Los Angeles
– Niche grade: A+
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#16. Windward School
– Enrollment: 625 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 7-12
– City: Los Angeles
– Niche grade: A+
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#15. Sage Hill School
– Enrollment: 550 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: Newport Coast
– Niche grade: A+
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#14. The Thacher School
– Enrollment: 259 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: Ojai
– Niche grade: A+
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#13. The Quarry Lane School
– Enrollment: 850 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: PK, K-12
– City: Dublin
– Niche grade: A+
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#12. Cate School
– Enrollment: 298 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: Carpinteria
– Niche grade: A+
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#11. Head-Royce School
– Enrollment: 900 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: K-12
– City: Oakland
– Niche grade: A+
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#10. Polytechnic School
– Enrollment: 872 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: K-12
– City: Pasadena
– Niche grade: A+
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#9. The Harker School
– Enrollment: 1,972 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: K-12
– City: San Jose
– Niche grade: A+
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#8. The Bishop’s School
– Enrollment: 800 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 6-12
– City: San Diego
– Niche grade: A+
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#7. Flintridge Preparatory School
– Enrollment: 530 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 7-12
– City: La Canada Flintridge
– Niche grade: A+
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#6. Castilleja School
– Enrollment: 416 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 6-12
– City: Palo Alto
– Niche grade: A+
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#5. Crystal Springs Uplands School
– Enrollment: 569 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 6-12
– City: Hillsborough
– Niche grade: A+
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#4. Stanford Online High School
– Enrollment: 923 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 7-12
– City: Redwood City
– Niche grade: A+
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#3. The Nueva School
– Enrollment: 853 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: PK, K-12
– City: Hillsborough
– Niche grade: A+
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#2. The College Preparatory School
– Enrollment: 370 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 9-12
– City: Oakland
– Niche grade: A+
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#1. Harvard-Westlake School
– Enrollment: 1,620 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Grades served: 7-12
– City: Los Angeles
– Niche grade: A+
