Best High Schools in San Mateo County, California
Part of our Best Schools in San Mateo County guide.
Introduction
San Mateo County sits in one of the most academically competitive regions in the country, nestled between San Francisco to the north and Silicon Valley to the south. That geography isn't just geographic — it shapes the culture inside these schools, where families tend to be highly engaged, expectations run high, and many students are thinking about four-year universities from the moment they set foot in ninth grade. If you're a parent weighing a move to the Peninsula, or simply trying to figure out which local high school is the best fit for your kid, you've landed in the right place.
What stands out about San Mateo County's top high schools isn't just raw test scores — it's the variety. You'll find traditional college-prep powerhouses, a project-based charter built around design thinking, and schools serving tight-knit suburban communities where Friday night sports and AP coursework coexist comfortably. The ten schools below represent the best of what the county has to offer, ranked by academic performance across English, math, and science.
1. Carlmont High — Sequoia Union High School District, Belmont
Carlmont is the top-performing high school in San Mateo County by a meaningful margin, sitting in the 98th percentile overall — with near-perfect scores in English (98th) and Science (98th), and a Math score (96th) that most schools would envy as their crowning achievement. Located in Belmont, a quiet, family-friendly city perched in the hills between San Mateo and Redwood City, Carlmont draws from a community that places serious value on education without feeling cutthroat about it. Families who want rigorous academics in a school that still feels like a real high school — sports rivalries, school spirit, a genuine campus community — will find a lot to like here.
2. Aragon High — San Mateo Union High School District, San Mateo
Aragon High consistently ranks among the Peninsula's elite, scoring in the 95th percentile in English, 94th in Math, and an impressive 97th in Science — good enough for an overall ranking in the 96th percentile. It's located in the heart of San Mateo, one of the county's most livable cities, with tree-lined neighborhoods, easy Caltrain access, and a strong sense of community identity. Aragon tends to attract families who want a traditional, academically excellent public school experience with plenty of AP and honors options — the kind of place where high achievement is the norm but doesn't feel like the only thing that matters.
3. Design Tech High — San Mateo Union High School District, Redwood City
Design Tech High — known locally as d.tech — is unlike any other school on this list, and that's entirely the point. Founded on the principles of design thinking and project-based learning, it sits on the Oracle campus in Redwood City and operates as a charter school within the San Mateo Union High School District. Despite its non-traditional approach, d.tech's academic results are legitimately strong: 94th percentile in both English and Science, 93rd in Math, and 95th overall. It's a natural fit for creative, curious students who learn by doing — and for families who believe that preparing kids for the modern world means more than drilling for standardized tests.
4. Mills High — San Mateo Union High School District, Millbrae
Mills High is one of those schools that feels like it belongs to its city in the best possible way. Millbrae is a small, tight-knit community just south of SFO — unpretentious, diverse, and genuinely family-oriented — and Mills reflects that character. Academically, it's a serious performer: 91st percentile in English, 94th in Math, and 83rd in Science, for an overall score in the 91st percentile. Families looking for a high-achieving school with a strong sense of community, rather than the pressure-cooker atmosphere sometimes found at higher-profile schools, often find Mills to be a very pleasant surprise.
5. Menlo-Atherton High — Sequoia Union High School District, Atherton
Menlo-Atherton sits in one of the wealthiest zip codes in America — Atherton — but the school itself serves a genuinely diverse student population drawn from surrounding communities including East Palo Alto. That mix gives M-A a character that's hard to replicate: it's a place where championship athletics, robust arts programs, and strong academics coexist, and where the student body reflects the real socioeconomic range of the mid-Peninsula. With scores in the 84th percentile in English, 90th in Math, and 91st in Science (88th overall), it's a legitimate academic performer — and for families who want their kids in a high school with real cultural richness and school pride, M-A delivers.
Score Trends — Top 5
The first five schools show starkly different trajectories this year. Carlmont High is struggling significantly, with English scores dropping from 119 to 106 and Math plummeting from 79 to 50—a concerning 29-point decline in Math that deserves immediate attention. Meanwhile, Aragon High is holding relatively steady with modest gains: English improved from 83 to 94 (+11), while Math inched up from 33 to 34. Design Tech High posted strong English growth, jumping from 81 to 100 (+19), though Math dipped from 33 to 23. Mills High shows the most dramatic turnaround, with English skyrocketing from 56 to 91 (+35) and Math surging from 6 to 42 (+36)—suggesting successful intervention efforts. Finally, Menlo-Atherton High is heading in the wrong direction, losing 21 points in English (77 to 56) and dropping 18 points in Math (23 to 5), marking the steepest declines among this group.
6. Burlingame High — San Mateo Union High School District, Burlingame
Burlingame is one of those Peninsula cities that residents rarely want to leave — charming downtown, strong community identity, easy commute access — and Burlingame High fits right into that picture. The school scores in the 78th percentile in English and 85th in Math, but its Science score is a standout at the 96th percentile, which pushes its overall ranking to the 86th percentile. It's a well-rounded public high school in a well-rounded city, and it tends to attract families who value stability, community connection, and solid academics over the hyper-competitive atmosphere of the county's very top schools.
7. Summit Public School: Shasta — Jefferson Union High School District, Daly City
Summit Shasta is part of the well-regarded Summit Public Schools network, and it brings that organization's distinctive project-based, student-directed learning model to Daly City — a city that doesn't always get the academic spotlight it deserves. The school scores in the 86th percentile in English and 83rd in Math, with Science at the 78th, for an 85th percentile overall ranking — results that make it one of the stronger performers in the Jefferson Union district. Families who are drawn to progressive education models, personalized learning plans, and a school culture that emphasizes mentorship alongside academics will find Shasta worth a serious look.
8. El Camino High — South San Francisco Unified School District, South San Francisco
El Camino High is the standout school in South San Francisco Unified, a district that serves a working-class, majority-minority community — and it holds its own academically, scoring in the 83rd percentile in English, 77th in Math, and 81st in Science for an overall ranking in the 81st percentile. South San Francisco has long been underestimated as a place to raise a family, but it offers genuine community character, relatively accessible housing by Peninsula standards, and a strong local identity. El Camino is a solid choice for families who want a real neighborhood high school with above-average academics and a student body that reflects the diversity of the Bay Area.
9. Hillsdale High — San Mateo Union High School District, San Mateo
Hillsdale High shares a city with the higher-ranked Aragon, and the two schools inevitably get compared — but Hillsdale has its own identity worth appreciating. Scoring in the 73rd percentile in English and 75th in Math, with Science at the 78th percentile (75th overall), it's a mid-tier performer by county standards but would hold up well against the average California high school. The school draws from the western side of San Mateo, closer to the bay, and has a reputation for strong extracurricular offerings and a less pressured social environment than some of its neighbors. For families where fit and culture matter as much as rankings, Hillsdale is worth visiting in person before writing off.
10. Westmoor High — Jefferson Union High School District, Daly City
Westmoor rounds out the top ten, scoring in the 73rd percentile in English, 73rd in Math, and 75th in Science — a 74th percentile overall. Like El Camino, Westmoor serves a diverse, working-class community, and it does so as part of the Jefferson Union district alongside Summit Shasta. Daly City is often thought of as an extension of San Francisco's outer neighborhoods, and in many ways it functions like one — dense, diverse, and close-knit. Westmoor isn't the flashiest school on this list, but it's a stable, community-rooted high school that provides a reasonable academic foundation for students whose families are committed to supporting their education.
Score Trends — #6-10
The remaining five schools display a mixed but generally more positive picture. Burlingame High rebounds impressively, with English jumping from 29 to 51 (+22) and Math recovering from -36 to -8 (+28), indicating real progress across both subjects. Summit Public School: Shasta remains essentially flat, with English dipping slightly from 66 to 63 (-3) and Math unchanged at -17. El Camino High is stalled, posting no English growth (57 to 57) and minimal Math improvement from -36 to -34 (+2). Hillsdale High demonstrates strong recovery momentum, gaining 24 points in English (23 to 47) and 21 points in Math (-57 to -36), suggesting effective turnaround efforts. Westmoor High shows minimal movement, with English declining by just 1 point (42 to 41) while Math improved slightly from -50 to -44 (+6)—overall, a school that needs strategic intervention.
How We Rank Schools
The School Advocate ranks schools using state assessment data across three subjects: English, Math, and Science. English and Math are each weighted at 40% of the overall score, while Science accounts for the remaining 20%. Because school performance can shift meaningfully from year to year, we weight more recent results more heavily than older data — so the rankings reflect where schools stand today, not just a historical average. All scores are expressed as percentiles relative to other California public high schools, so a school in the 95th percentile is outperforming 95% of schools statewide.
Compare Schools Yourself
Rankings are a useful starting point, but every family's priorities are different. If you want to dig into the numbers yourself — compare specific schools head to head, look at individual subject scores, or see how a school near you stacks up — use our school comparison tool. It's free, and it lets you build the side-by-side comparisons that a ranked list can't always capture.
Top 26 Rankings
| Rank | School | District | City | English | Math | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlmont High | Sequoia Union High | Belmont | 98 | 96 | 98 |
| 2 | Aragon High | San Mateo Union High | San Mateo | 95 | 94 | 96 |
| 3 | Design Tech High | San Mateo Union High | Redwood City | 94 | 93 | 95 |
| 4 | Mills High | San Mateo Union High | Millbrae | 91 | 94 | 91 |
| 5 | Menlo-Atherton High | Sequoia Union High | Atherton | 84 | 90 | 88 |
| 6 | Burlingame High | San Mateo Union High | Burlingame | 78 | 85 | 86 |
| 7 | Summit Public School: Shasta | Jefferson Union High | Daly City | 86 | 83 | 85 |
| 8 | El Camino High | South San Francisco Unified | South San Francisco | 83 | 77 | 81 |
| 9 | Hillsdale High | San Mateo Union High | San Mateo | 73 | 75 | 75 |
| 10 | Westmoor High | Jefferson Union High | Daly City | 73 | 73 | 74 |
| 11 | Woodside High | Sequoia Union High | Woodside | 53 | 73 | 69 |
| 12 | Terra Nova High | Jefferson Union High | Pacifica | 59 | 71 | 68 |
| 13 | San Mateo High | San Mateo Union High | San Mateo | 53 | 63 | 65 |
| 14 | Tide Academy | Sequoia Union High | Menlo Park | 61 | 58 | 62 |
| 15 | Sequoia High | Sequoia Union High | Redwood City | 49 | 62 | 59 |
| 16 | Capuchino High | San Mateo Union High | San Bruno | 47 | 40 | 49 |
| 17 | South San Francisco High | South San Francisco Unified | South San Francisco | 48 | 46 | 49 |
| 18 | KIPP Esperanza High | Sequoia Union High | East Palo Alto | 31 | 45 | 37 |
| 19 | Jefferson High | Jefferson Union High | Daly City | 30 | 38 | 35 |
| 20 | Summit Preparatory Charter High | Sequoia Union High | Redwood City | 36 | 31 | 33 |
| 21 | Half Moon Bay High | Cabrillo Unified | Half Moon Bay | 12 | 36 | 25 |
| 22 | Everest Public High | Sequoia Union High | Redwood City | 21 | 12 | 11 |
| 23 | East Palo Alto Academy | Sequoia Union High | East Palo Alto | 13 | 7 | 7 |
| 24 | Oxford Day Academy | San Mateo County Office of Education | East Palo Alto | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | Pescadero High | La Honda-Pescadero Unified | Pescadero | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Sequoia District Adult Education | Sequoia Union High | Menlo Park | 0 | 0 | 0 |