Best Public Schools in Stockton, CA

Stockton, California, is home to 122 schools serving elementary through high school students, with a diverse mix of traditional public, charter, and alternative schools across several districts, including Stockton Unified, Lodi Unified, and Lincoln Unified.

The city features remarkable "pockets of excellence" that stand out dramatically. Middle College High (Lodi Unified) is an absolute outlier, ranking 10th in the entire state with a 100% graduation rate and near-perfect test scores. Similarly, Stockton Early College Academy (Stockton Unified) ranks 41st in California, achieving stellar results despite a high poverty rate. Elkhorn (Lodi Unified) is a top-1% middle school with exceptional math and science scores. In contrast, Stockton High and Jane Frederick High (both Stockton Unified) face severe challenges, with chronic absenteeism rates above 78% and graduation rates below 55%. The data shows that high spending does not guarantee success—Stockton Early College Academy spends just $4,631 per student while outperforming schools with much higher budgets.

Chronic absenteeism emerges as the city's defining challenge, averaging around 30% across all schools, far above the state average. This issue is most acute in continuation high schools like Stockton High (96.9% absenteeism) and Jane Frederick High (78.1%). Charter school performance varies widely—Aspire Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy ranks in the top 10% of high schools, while Aspire Rosa Parks Academy and Aspire APEX Academy are among the lowest-performing. For parents, the key takeaway is that Stockton offers some world-class options, but careful school selection is critical, as outcomes vary enormously even within the same district.