Best Public Schools in Berkeley, CA

Berkeley has 17 schools—12 elementary, three middle and two high—serving students across a range of grade spans, including two small alternative or independent-study schools; among the 15 conventional schools, average 2025–26 proficiency was 72% in ELA, 68% in math and 63% in science, compared with California rates of 49%, 38% and 36%, respectively. The central takeaway is that Berkeley’s conventional schools average well above state proficiency, but results still differ substantially from school to school.

Ruth Acty Elementary leads the conventional schools in ELA and math, with 83% proficient in each—12 and 16 percentage points above the averages of the other 14 conventional schools. Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier leads in science at 75%, compared with 72% at the next-highest school, Ruth Acty. Among middle schools, Willard Middle leads in ELA and math, while Longfellow Arts and Technology Middle leads in science. At the lower end among conventional elementary schools, Oxford Elementary at West Campus has 59% ELA and 62% math proficiency, though both figures are above state rates. Berkeley Technology Academy is a distinct low outlier: its grade 11 results are 6% in ELA and 18% in math, versus 71% and 59% at Berkeley High.

Recent changes are mixed: conventional-school ELA and math averages were nearly unchanged from 2024–25 to 2025–26 as state rates rose, narrowing the average gaps by about 1 point in each subject; science improved by 3 points among the 14 conventional schools with results in both years. Longfellow’s science rose 22 points and its ELA rose 7, while Oxford’s ELA and science each fell 12 points. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile for Longfellow also rose from the 78th in 2023–24 to the 91st in 2025–26. School context does not map neatly onto results: Ruth Acty’s student–teacher ratio is 21.5, compared with Longfellow’s 14.5; their reported free/reduced lunch eligible rates for sy 2024–25 are 24% and 45%, respectively. These measures are context, not explanations of achievement; results at the two smallest schools may be less stable, and year-to-year school averages do not track the same students.