Best Public Schools in Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa’s city summary covers 60 schools: 42 elementary, six middle, six high, and six alternative schools, serving students across a range of grades. Results vary substantially from school to school, including among schools reporting results for the same grade. The most important takeaway for families is that a citywide picture can hide very different school-level outcomes.

Several schools stand out for strong results, while others are far lower. In fifth grade, Austin Creek Elementary had 78% proficiency in ELA, compared with 8% at James Monroe Elementary; their fifth-grade results were also far apart in math (77% versus 8%) and science (66% versus 4%). Across conventional high schools, Maria Carrillo High led in 11th-grade ELA, math, and science, with 64%, 39%, and 43% proficient. Ridgway High had 10%, 5%, and 5%, respectively. Santa Rosa French-American Charter also stood out in fifth-grade science at 72%, versus 35% statewide. SchoolDigger places Austin Creek in the 93rd statewide percentile and gives it five stars; Steele Lane is in the 2nd percentile.

Recent results show mixed progress rather than one shared trend. The six conventional high schools’ 2025–26 averages were 40% in ELA, 19% in math, and 23% in science, below state averages of 49%, 38%, and 36%; the gap widened in ELA and science from the prior year. Some elementary schools also moved in different directions: Austin Creek’s ELA and science rose, while its math fell; Proctor Terrace Elementary declined in all three subjects. Schools with similar reported income measures can also have notably different results: in 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible was 81% at Robert L. Stevens Elementary and 78% at J.X. Wilson Elementary, while their 2025–26 ELA results were 59% and 46%. These figures provide context, not an explanation for school results.