# The best-performing schools in California with small low-income gaps

See which California schools clear 70% reading proficiency overall while keeping low-income students within 5 points of their non-low-income classmates.

## Methodology

This page keeps California schools with recent subgroup data from 2,023 or later. Schools need at least 20 low-income students tested in reading and 20 non-low-income students tested in reading. To qualify for the ranking itself, a school must clear 70.0% overall reading proficiency and keep the absolute low-income versus non-low-income reading gap at or below 5.0 points.

## Qualifying Schools

Total schools on this list: 103

## Top Schools

| Rank | School | School Type | City | District | Low-Income % | Magnet / Selective | Avg Reading | Avg Math | Low-Income Reading | Non-Low-Income Reading | Reading Gap |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Whitney (Gretchen) High | Combined (7-12) | Cerritos | ABC Unified | 31.6% | Yes | 99.2% | 98.0% | 98.1% | 99.7% | 1.6 pts |
| 2 | California Academy of Mathematics and Science | high | Carson | Long Beach Unified | 37.4% | Yes | 98.7% | 94.9% | 98.3% | 99.0% | 0.6 pts |
| 3 | Middle College High | high | Stockton | Lodi Unified | 53.6% | Yes | 98.7% | 74.7% | 97.8% | 100.0% | 2.2 pts |
| 4 | Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy | high | Gilroy | Gilroy Unified | 42.1% | Yes | 98.6% | 86.1% | 97.0% | 100.0% | 3.0 pts |
| 5 | Oxford Academy | Combined (7-12) | Cypress | Anaheim Union High | 50.0% | Yes | 98.5% | 94.4% | 98.5% | 98.5% | 0.0 pts |
| 6 | Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation | high | Wilmington | Los Angeles Unified | 65.5% | Yes | 98.2% | 78.7% | 98.6% | 97.2% | 1.4 pts |
| 7 | Science Academy STEM Magnet | Combined (6-12) | North Hollywood | Los Angeles Unified | 36.2% | Yes | 97.9% | 97.6% | 97.5% | 98.1% | 0.6 pts |
| 8 | University High | high | Fresno | Fresno Unified | 21.3% | Yes | 97.5% | 75.8% | 100.0% | 96.7% | 3.3 pts |
| 9 | Elkhorn | Combined (4-8) | Stockton | Lodi Unified | 44.5% | No | 95.3% | 89.5% | 93.9% | 96.5% | 2.6 pts |
| 10 | John F. Kennedy High | high | Norco | Corona-Norco Unified | 59.2% | Yes | 95.3% | 53.6% | 95.0% | 95.6% | 0.5 pts |
| 11 | Murdock-Portal Elementary | elementary | San Jose | Cupertino Union | 8.5% | No | 94.3% | 95.8% | 95.8% | 94.1% | 1.7 pts |
| 12 | Alameda Science and Technology Institute | high | Alameda | Alameda Unified | 45.5% | Yes | 94.0% | 74.0% | 95.5% | 92.9% | 2.6 pts |
| 13 | North Hillsborough | elementary | Hillsborough | Hillsborough City Elementary | 2.6% | No | 94.0% | 93.2% | 90.0% | 93.9% | 3.9 pts |
| 14 | William Faria Elementary | elementary | Cupertino | Cupertino Union | 12.5% | No | 93.7% | 97.2% | 92.5% | 93.8% | 1.3 pts |
| 15 | Jack L. Weaver Elementary | elementary | Los Alamitos | Los Alamitos Unified | 10.3% | No | 92.5% | 88.4% | 88.6% | 93.0% | 4.4 pts |
| 16 | Oak Park High | high | Oak Park | Oak Park Unified | 12.7% | No | 91.6% | 75.0% | 87.8% | 92.2% | 4.4 pts |
| 17 | John Muir Elementary | elementary | San Jose | Cupertino Union | 8.4% | No | 91.1% | 93.3% | 92.0% | 91.0% | 1.0 pts |
| 18 | Eunice Sato Academy of Math & Science | high | Long Beach | Long Beach Unified | 26.8% | Yes | 91.1% | 85.7% | 90.6% | 91.3% | 0.6 pts |
| 19 | Ethan B. Allen Elementary | elementary | Fountain Valley | Garden Grove Unified | 51.7% | No | 91.0% | 88.9% | 89.0% | 93.5% | 4.5 pts |
| 20 | University Preparatory | Combined (7-12) | Victorville | Victor Valley Union High | 75.2% | Yes | 91.0% | 70.4% | 91.4% | 89.9% | 1.5 pts |
| 21 | Teach Elementary | elementary | San Luis Obispo | San Luis Coastal Unified | 25.4% | No | 90.5% | 84.7% | 90.0% | 90.7% | 0.7 pts |
| 22 | Wonderland Avenue Elementary | elementary | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | 27.1% | Yes | 90.0% | 90.8% | 92.1% | 89.1% | 3.0 pts |
| 23 | University Preparatory High | high | Visalia | Tulare County Office of Education | 37.5% | No | 88.9% | 73.3% | 90.0% | 88.0% | 2.0 pts |
| 24 | Carver Elementary | elementary | San Marino | San Marino Unified | 10.9% | No | 88.8% | 87.3% | 88.9% | 88.8% | 0.1 pts |
| 25 | Willowbrook Middle | middle | Compton | Compton Unified | 88.8% | No | 88.7% | 66.9% | 89.2% | 84.8% | 4.4 pts |
| 26 | Robert C. Fisler Elementary | Combined (K-8) | Fullerton | Fullerton Elementary | 28.4% | No | 88.6% | 86.0% | 88.7% | 88.5% | 0.1 pts |
| 27 | Valentine Elementary | elementary | San Marino | San Marino Unified | 11.3% | No | 88.5% | 84.5% | 88.7% | 88.5% | 0.2 pts |
| 28 | Tustin Memorial Elementary | elementary | Santa Ana | Tustin Unified | 22.5% | Yes | 87.7% | 88.7% | 91.4% | 86.5% | 4.9 pts |
| 29 | International Polytechnic High | high | Pomona | Los Angeles County Office of Education | 26.9% | Yes | 87.7% | 50.9% | 85.7% | 88.5% | 2.8 pts |
| 30 | South Hillsborough | elementary | Hillsborough | Hillsborough City Elementary | 5.0% | No | 87.3% | 92.9% | 91.3% | 89.2% | 2.1 pts |
| 31 | Beach Elementary | elementary | Piedmont | Piedmont City Unified | 4.3% | No | 87.2% | 92.2% | 86.4% | 87.2% | 0.9 pts |
| 32 | Lowell High | high | San Francisco | San Francisco Unified | 42.5% | Yes | 87.0% | 71.4% | 84.5% | 88.7% | 4.2 pts |
| 33 | Monte Vista Elementary | elementary | La Crescenta | Glendale Unified | 44.1% | No | 86.9% | 85.9% | 85.7% | 88.0% | 2.3 pts |
| 34 | International School for Science and Culture | Combined (K-8) | Costa Mesa | Orange County Department of Education | 41.7% | No | 86.3% | 72.5% | 87.1% | 85.0% | 2.1 pts |
| 35 | Los Coyotes Elementary | elementary | La Palma | Centralia Elementary | 38.2% | No | 85.8% | 85.2% | 81.4% | 86.4% | 5.0 pts |
| 36 | Clover Avenue Elementary | elementary | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | 40.7% | No | 85.6% | 87.0% | 83.5% | 87.5% | 4.0 pts |
| 37 | Sherman Thomas STEM Academy | middle | Madera | Madera Unified | 36.0% | No | 85.3% | 73.3% | 85.2% | 85.4% | 0.2 pts |
| 38 | Saratoga Elementary | elementary | Saratoga | Saratoga Union Elementary | 3.0% | No | 85.1% | 90.5% | 85.7% | 85.7% | 0.0 pts |
| 39 | Pacific Elementary | elementary | Manhattan Beach | Manhattan Beach Unified | 4.3% | No | 84.6% | 83.0% | 84.8% | 85.1% | 0.3 pts |
| 40 | Grand View Elementary | elementary | Manhattan Beach | Manhattan Beach Unified | 2.0% | No | 84.3% | 81.8% | 82.2% | 84.9% | 2.7 pts |
| 41 | West Creek Academy | elementary | Valencia | Saugus Union | 20.1% | No | 83.8% | 81.7% | 81.0% | 84.6% | 3.6 pts |
| 42 | Chin (John Yehall) Elementary | elementary | San Francisco | San Francisco Unified | 75.5% | No | 83.7% | 78.4% | 82.8% | 86.1% | 3.3 pts |
| 43 | Colonel Joseph C. Rodriguez PREP Academy | middle | San Bernardino | San Bernardino City Unified | 89.2% | Yes | 83.5% | 66.9% | 83.0% | 87.9% | 4.9 pts |
| 44 | West Hillsborough | elementary | Hillsborough | Hillsborough City Elementary | 2.6% | No | 83.1% | 86.8% | 83.9% | 84.7% | 0.9 pts |
| 45 | KIPP San Jose Collegiate | high | San Jose | East Side Union High | 70.9% | No | 83.1% | 64.1% | 83.0% | 83.3% | 0.3 pts |
| 46 | Maple Hill Elementary | elementary | Diamond Bar | Walnut Valley Unified | 27.3% | No | 82.5% | 82.9% | 79.8% | 83.6% | 3.8 pts |
| 47 | Downtown Business High | high | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | 81.4% | Yes | 82.4% | 61.3% | 82.1% | 83.9% | 1.7 pts |
| 48 | West Side Elementary | elementary | Healdsburg | West Side Union Elementary | 36.2% | No | 82.1% | 80.3% | 80.8% | 82.9% | 2.2 pts |
| 49 | Harbor View Elementary | elementary | Corona Del Mar | Newport-Mesa Unified | 12.2% | No | 81.6% | 78.1% | 84.8% | 80.8% | 4.0 pts |
| 50 | Truman Benedict Elementary | elementary | San Clemente | Capistrano Unified | 20.3% | No | 81.5% | 81.5% | 80.3% | 81.9% | 1.6 pts |

## Canonical URL

https://caschooltrends.com/research/best-performing-schools-in-california-with-small-low-income-gaps