Best High Schools in Whittier, CA

Summary:

Whittier, California is served by six public high schools within the Whittier Union High district, including four traditional comprehensive schools and two alternative programs, collectively educating around 7,900 students in grades 9-12.

Among the traditional schools, La Serna High stands out as the top performer, with the highest graduation rate, lowest chronic absenteeism, and strongest test scores in English, math, and science. It is closely followed by California High, which also shows strong English proficiency. Whittier High and Pioneer High show more varied results, with Pioneer having the highest per-student spending and lowest student-teacher ratio among traditional schools, suggesting significant investment in student support.

The two alternative schools, Frontier High (Continuation) and Sierra Vista High (Alternative), serve at-risk populations and face distinct challenges, with much higher chronic absenteeism and lower graduation rates, which is common for schools with this specialized mission. Overall, the district's traditional schools consistently exceed state averages for graduation, and the area shows a particular strength in English proficiency compared to math.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Tri-Cities Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	10800 Ben Avon St. Unit E	Whittier	90606	Los Angeles County	Tri-Cities Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(562) 698-9571	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Sierra Vista High (Alternative)	Public	9-12	9401 South Painter Ave.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	284	13	21.9	80.3%	10 (3.5%)	2 (0.7%)	264 (93.0%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	29.9	1488^th of 2162 public high schools	31.2%		28.3	1534^th of 2159 public high schools	28.9%	46	14.8	14.3	14.6	41.8	41.8	7.1	7.1	$20,534	$398	$20,136
California High	Public	9-12	9800 South Mills Ave.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	2,261	102	22.0	80.3%	97 (4.3%)	13 (0.6%)	2,090 (92.4%)	42 (1.9%)	7 (0.3%)	3 (0.1%)	6 (0.3%)	78.2	444^th of 2162 public high schools	79.5%		80.2	411^th of 2159 public high schools	81.0%	33	43.6		43.0	70.9	70.9	35.2	35.2	$21,501	$615	$20,886
La Serna High	Public	9-12	15301 Youngwood Dr.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	2,372	92	25.9	58.4%	236 (9.9%)	25 (1.1%)	1,970 (83.1%)	99 (4.2%)	14 (0.6%)	1 (0.0%)	24 (1.0%)	86.6	271^st of 2162 public high schools	87.5%		88.4	256^th of 2159 public high schools	88.1%	15	57.7	0.0	56.6	71.3	71.3	42.9	42.9	$19,981	$529	$19,452
Pioneer High	Public	9-12	10800 Ben Avon	Whittier	90606	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	1,000	53	18.7	87.7%	26 (2.6%)	8 (0.8%)	954 (95.4%)	8 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	61.8	768^th of 2162 public high schools	64.5%		66.4	626^th of 2159 public high schools	71.0%	142	31.7	23.1	31.3	61.8	61.8	26.5	26.5	$25,474	$958	$24,516
Whittier High	Public	9-12	12417 East Philadelphia St.	Whittier	90601	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	1,652	77	21.4	85.5%	84 (5.1%)	14 (0.8%)	1,525 (92.3%)	17 (1.0%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.5%)	68.3	630^th of 2162 public high schools	70.9%		71.6	543^rd of 2159 public high schools	74.8%	87	28.8	7.1	27.2	63.7	63.7	41.6	41.6	$22,438	$956	$21,482
Frontier High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	9401 South Painter Ave.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	364	28	13.2	72.3%	17 (4.7%)	5 (1.4%)	334 (91.8%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	10.7	1986^th of 2162 public high schools	8.1%		12.4	1918^th of 2159 public high schools	11.2%	68	1.2	7.3	3.2	11.2	11.2	0.0	0.0	$22,569	$1,574	$20,995

Cities Near Whittier

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Hacienda Heights	2.13 mi	16	329^th
South El Monte	2.2 mi	3	281^st
Pico Rivera	2.47 mi	15	523^rd
El Monte	2.72 mi	26	494^th
La Puente	3.18 mi	28	645^th

See the top CA California cities

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.

Best High Schools in Whittier, CA

La Serna High

California High

Whittier High

Pioneer High

Sierra Vista High (Alternative)

Frontier High (Continuation)

Tri-Cities Regional Occupational Program

Cities Near Whittier