Best high schools in the Stockton metro area

According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.

To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.

Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.

Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.

With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Stockton metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.

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#25. Aspire Langston Hughes Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Stockton, CA
- Enrollment: 770 (29:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#24. Valley Robotics Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lodi Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 381 (27:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#23. Galt High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Galt Joint Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 996 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#22. Lodi High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lodi Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,070 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#21. Rio Valley Charter School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lodi, CA
- Enrollment: 787 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#20. Independence

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lodi Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 192 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#19. Tracy High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Tracy Joint Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,768 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#18. Merrill F. West High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Tracy Joint Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,108 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#17. Linden High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Linden Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 761 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#16. Liberty Ranch High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Galt Joint Union High School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,004 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#15. Weber Institute

- School type: Public School
- Location: Stockton Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 378 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#14. John C. Kimball High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Tracy Joint Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,607 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#13. Health Careers Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Stockton Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 407 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#12. Sierra High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Manteca Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,693 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#11. Lathrop High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Manteca Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 1,535 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#10. Lincoln High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lincoln Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,936 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#9. Stockton Collegiate International Secondary School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Stockton, CA
- Enrollment: 449 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#8. Aspire Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Stockton, CA
- Enrollment: 685 (29:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#7. Mountain House High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lammersville Joint Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 2,142 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#6. Pacific Law Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Stockton Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 184 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#5. Lodi Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Lodi, CA
- Enrollment: 76 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#4. Millennium Charter School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Tracy, CA
- Enrollment: 478 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#3. Stockton Unified Early College Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Stockton Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 427 (31:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#2. St. Mary's High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Stockton, CA
- Enrollment: 785 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#1. Middle College High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Lodi Unified School District, CA
- Enrollment: 315 (26:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.

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