Top ranked elementary schools in California

See which elementary schools in California clear 90% reading proficiency, with math scores, low-income share, and magnet/selective context.

Only 23 elementary schools in California clear 90% reading proficiency.

That is just 0.5% of the 4,839 elementary schools with statewide performance data, or roughly 1 out of every 210 elementary schools.

Just 9,919 students are enrolled in those schools, out of 2,251,595 elementary students statewide. That is 0.4%, or about 1 in 227 elementary students.

Elementary schools in California with 90%+ reading proficiency

These elementary schools all clear 90% reading proficiency in California. That threshold is so rare that the list covers less than half of one percent of the state’s elementary schools.

Santa Barbara • Cold Spring Elementary
No5.9%96.2%95.3%
San Carlos • San Carlos Elementary
No11.3%95.5%93.2%
San Jose • Cupertino Union
No8.5%94.3%95.8%
Hillsborough • Hillsborough City Elementary
No2.6%94.0%93.2%
Cupertino • Cupertino Union
No12.5%93.7%97.2%
Northridge • Los Angeles Unified
Yes31.1%93.6%91.2%
Los Alamitos • Los Alamitos Unified
No10.3%92.5%88.4%
Chino Hills • Chino Valley Unified
No41.5%92.4%87.1%
Rancho Palos Verdes • Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified
No8.5%92.0%91.0%
Palo Alto • Palo Alto Unified
No6.7%91.8%92.8%
Davis • Davis Joint Unified
No18.8%91.7%66.7%
Manhattan Beach • Manhattan Beach Unified
No4.3%91.4%87.4%
Santa Rosa • Santa Rosa High
No15.6%91.4%88.3%
Orinda • Orinda Union
No1.6%91.1%91.6%
San Jose • Cupertino Union
No8.4%91.1%93.3%
Fountain Valley • Garden Grove Unified
No51.7%91.0%88.9%
Santa Barbara • Montecito Union Elementary
No5.1%90.8%91.6%
San Luis Obispo • San Luis Coastal Unified
No25.4%90.5%84.7%
Placentia • Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
Yes25.4%90.5%89.4%
Los Angeles • Los Angeles Unified
No14.0%90.4%90.4%
Palo Alto • Palo Alto Unified
No10.8%90.2%89.3%
Santa Clara • Santa Clara Unified
No4.2%90.2%91.5%
Los Angeles • Los Angeles Unified
Yes27.1%90.0%90.8%

How this list works

This list uses 2025 California state test results. It includes non-virtual elementary schools with both reading and math data, then shows the schools where at least 90% of tested students met or exceeded the reading standard. Reading score breaks ties first, followed by math score. Magnet and selective-admissions labels are shown so families can interpret the results in context.