California School Rankings

2024–25 data5,744 schools · avg 44.8/100

California has 5,744 ranked elementary schools with an average Scope Score of 44.8/100. The top-scoring school is North Hillsborough at 97/100. The highest-performing district is Hillsborough City Elementary (avg 85.5). Statewide average per-pupil spending is $14,491. Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Elementary K-5 Middle 6-8 High School 9-12

5,744

Schools analyzed

44.8

Avg Scope Score

$14,491

Avg per-pupil spending

2025

CAASPP data year

Which California districts score highest?

Hillsborough City Elementary leads with an average Scope Score of 85.5/100 across 4 schools. Ranked by average Scope Score across all school levels; minimum 3 schools per district. Source: CDE CAASPP 2024–25, analyzed by SchoolScope.

#	District	Schools	Avg Score	Exceeded %	Absent %
1	Hillsborough City Elementary	4	Strong 85.5/100	67.6%	4.4%
2	Orinda Union	5	Strong 83.2/100	62.3%	5.5%
3	La Canada Unified	4	Strong 82.8/100	62.6%	5.0%
4	Los Altos Elementary	7	Strong 82.4/100	63.3%	6.4%
5	Manhattan Beach Unified	7	Strong 81.8/100	57.9%	6.2%
6	Saratoga Union Elementary	4	Strong 81.8/100	62.9%	6.1%
7	San Marino Unified	4	Strong 80.6/100	61.0%	3.5%
8	Mill Valley Elementary	6	Strong 80.5/100	55.0%	8.1%
9	Del Mar Union Elementary	9	Strong 80.4/100	57.5%	7.7%
10	Solana Beach Elementary	4	Strong 80.0/100	60.1%	4.4%
11	San Carlos Elementary	4	Strong 79.3/100	53.2%	6.2%
12	Palo Alto Unified	18	Strong 79.3/100	59.3%	10.2%
13	Cupertino Union	24	Strong 79.0/100	59.2%	6.7%
14	Menlo Park City Elementary	4	Strong 78.8/100	55.7%	5.9%
15	South Pasadena Unified	5	Strong 78.6/100	58.4%	6.3%

SchoolScope composite

Top elementary schools in California

Ranked by Scope Score. Source: CDE CAASPP 2024–25, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Rank	School	County	Score	Percentile
1	North Hillsborough	San Mateo	97	Strong 97/100
2	Bullis Charter	Santa Clara	96	Strong 96/100
3	Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter	El Dorado	96	Strong 96/100
4	Santiago Hills Elementary	Orange	95	Strong 95/100
5	Golden Elementary	Orange	95	Strong 95/100
6	Montecito Union	Santa Barbara	95	Strong 95/100
7	Ohlone Elementary	Santa Clara	93	Strong 93/100
8	Cornerstone at Pedregal Elementary	Los Angeles	93	Strong 93/100
9	Sage Canyon	San Diego	93	Strong 93/100
10	William Faria Elementary	Santa Clara	92	Strong 92/100

Explore all California schools →

Per-pupil spending by district

How much California districts spend per student. Statewide average: $14,491. 818 districts with data. Source: NCES F-33 fiscal survey.

Highest spending

#	District	Per Student
1	Sausalito Marin City	$62,631
2	Montecito Union Elementary	$34,024
3	Woodside Elementary	$33,472
4	Shoreline Unified	$31,980
5	Saint Helena Unified	$31,620
6	Julian Union High	$30,613
7	Portola Valley Elementary	$29,597
8	Eastern Sierra Unified	$27,668
9	Trona Joint Unified	$27,579
10	Las Lomitas Elementary	$26,855

Lowest spending

#	District	Per Student
1	Liberty Elementary	$8,549
2	Richmond Elementary	$8,739
3	Nuestro Elementary	$8,876
4	Pacific Union Elementary	$8,900
5	Southside Elementary	$9,415
6	Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union Elementary	$9,596
7	Loomis Union Elementary	$9,697
8	Lakeside Union	$9,726
9	Outside Creek Elementary	$9,731
10	Norris Elementary	$9,784

Spending data doesn't account for cost-of-living differences or how efficiently dollars translate to outcomes. See spending efficiency on individual district pages.

NCES F-33 Finance · District-level data — not school-specific

What Scope Scores can't tell you about California

Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are ranked in California?

SchoolScope ranks 5,744 elementary schools in California using the Scope Score, a 6-dimension composite based on 2025 CAASPP data. Schools need sufficient testing data to receive a score.

What is the best school district in California?

The highest-scoring district is Hillsborough City Elementary with an average Scope Score of 85.5/100 across 4 schools. Rankings are based on the average Scope Score of all schools in each district. See methodology.

How much does California spend per student?

The statewide average per-pupil spending is $14,491. The highest-spending district is Sausalito Marin City at $62,631 per student. Spending data comes from the NCES Common Core of Data Fiscal Survey (F-33). Higher spending does not automatically mean better outcomes.

What does the Scope Score measure?

The Scope Score is SchoolScope's proprietary composite rating (0–100). For elementary and middle schools it combines six weighted dimensions: exceeded-standard rate (38%), met-or-exceeded rate (20%), grade-to-grade growth (27%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). High schools use seven dimensions, led by graduation rate and college readiness. Full methodology.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.