Best Public Schools in Modesto, CA

Modesto’s area summary lists 75 schools—53 elementary, 9 middle, 10 high and 3 alternative—while the supplied records cover 73 schools serving different grade spans. In 2025–26, the seven comprehensive high schools averaged 51% proficient in ELA, compared with 49% statewide, but averaged 25% in math versus 38% statewide and 28% in science versus 36%. The clearest concern for parents comparing these high schools is math, where the group’s average was 13 percentage points below the state.

James C. Enochs High led the seven comprehensive high schools in all three subjects, with 65% proficient in ELA, 39% in math and 45% in science—14, 14 and 17 points above the group averages. Grace M. Davis High was lowest, at 37% in ELA, 13% in math and 17% in science, or 14, 12 and 11 points below those averages. At grade 8, Elizabeth Ustach Middle was the only supplied middle school above state results in all three subjects: 54% in ELA, 51% in math and 37% in science, beating state results by 5, 14 and 2 points. Across All Grades, Enslen Elementary led ELA at 68%, Paradise Elementary led math at 61%, and Stanislaus Elementary led science at 52%; Paradise’s enrollment was 59.

From 2024–25 to 2025–26, the seven-school average rose 2 points in ELA, 3 in math and 2 in science, but science improved more slowly than the state’s average, slightly widening the gap. School changes varied: Joseph A. Gregori High gained 14 ELA points and 10 math points, while Fred C. Beyer High fell 6 ELA points and Davis fell 3. Income figures offer context, not an explanation: in 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible rates were 46% at Enochs, 59% at Gregori, 80% at Davis and 84% at Modesto High, whose scores were higher than Davis’s in all three subjects. These results describe the supplied records; two schools in the area summary are not represented.