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Best Public Schools in Davis, CA


At a glance
16
Schools
8,241
Students
6
5-star schools
Top rankedDavis Senior High47th of 2,162 California high schools
Biggest riser
Martin Luther King High up 380 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Davis School for Independent Study 11.5 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The Davis Joint Unified School District serves approximately 7,366 students across 16 public schools, including nine elementary, three middle, three high, and one alternative school, in this university city known for its strong academic focus.

Overall, the district performs well above state averages, but there is significant variation between schools. Top performers include Davis Senior High, ranked in the 98th percentile statewide, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High, which excels in mathematics. For elementary schools, Fairfield Elementary achieves the highest English proficiency rate in the district. Alternative options like Da Vinci Charter Academy also show excellent results, with a graduation rate over 98%.

Key factors for parents to consider include chronic absenteeism, which strongly correlates with academic outcomes, and the finding that higher per-student spending does not guarantee better performance. For instance, Martin Luther King High faces significant challenges despite having the highest funding. Schools with the lowest chronic absenteeism, such as Cesar Chavez Elementary, tend to have stronger academic results. The district's middle schools are particularly strong in math compared to typical grade-level trends.

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




Cities Near Davis

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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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