Best Public Schools in Martinez, CA

Martinez, California, has 10 schools—five elementary schools, one middle school, three high schools and one alternative school—serving kindergarten through grade 12 across Martinez Unified, Mt. Diablo Unified and the Contra Costa County Office of Education. In 2025–2026, nine schools reported results in all three tested subjects; Mt. McKinley’s results are suppressed. Across those nine schools, the unweighted averages were 53% proficient in English language arts (ELA), 39% in math and 38% in science, compared with state results of 49%, 38% and 36%. Because schools serve different grade spans, these averages are broad guides rather than direct school-to-school comparisons. Most important, results vary sharply: the highest-to-lowest school gaps were 61 points in ELA, 61 in math and 52 in science.

Morello Park Elementary is the strongest conventional school across all three subjects, with 65% proficient in ELA, 61% in math and 57% in science—16, 23 and 21 points above state results. Briones (Alternative) has the highest ELA result at 71%, 21 points above the state, but its math and science results are 33% and 38%. Among secondary schools, Martinez Junior High is above the state in all three subjects. At the low end, Vicente Martinez High reports 10% in ELA, 0% in math and 5% in science—39, 38 and 31 points below state results.

Year-to-year changes are mixed, and Briones’ ELA increase is a major reason the nine-school average rose: Briones gained 46 points, while the other eight schools’ average fell by about 1 point. Math and science averages rose by about 1 and 5 points, respectively. Las Juntas Elementary’s SchoolDigger statewide percentile improved from 31 in 2024–2025 to 49 in 2025–2026, although its current results remain below state rates. Income figures offer context, not an explanation: in 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 20% at Morello, 23% at John Swett Elementary, 49% at Las Juntas and 38% at John Muir Elementary. Hidden Valley Elementary is a notable exception to a simple pattern: its ELA and math results are above the state, while its science result is below.