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Best Public Schools in Santa Rosa, CA


At a glance
64
Schools
28,646
Students
21
Districts
1
5-star school
Top rankedAustin Creek Elementary385th of 5,857 California elementary schools
Biggest riser
Madrone Elementary up 794 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Sonoma County Special Education 7.8 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
4★
3★
2★
1★
0★
15 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

Santa Rosa, California, serves approximately 30,000 students across 62 public schools, ranging from elementary to high school, including several charter and alternative programs, reflecting a diverse and complex educational landscape in the heart of Sonoma County.

The schools in Santa Rosa show extreme performance differences, with top performers like Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter and Austin Creek Elementary achieving ELA and math proficiency rates well above 75%, while others, such as Abraham Lincoln Elementary and Hilliard Comstock Middle, struggle with proficiency rates below 15%. The Rincon Valley Union Elementary district is the strongest performing, while schools within the Santa Rosa Elementary district show the widest range of outcomes. High schools face a particular challenge in mathematics, with only Maria Carrillo High exceeding the state average.

Chronic absenteeism is a significant issue, especially in alternative schools like Ridgway High (Continuation), and is strongly linked to lower academic performance. While per-student spending varies widely, it does not consistently predict success. Parents should note that charter school performance is mixed, and that middle schools often see a notable drop in performance compared to their feeder elementary schools, indicating that the transition between grade levels is a critical period for student support.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





Cities Near Santa Rosa

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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