Private vs public
Private vs public high schools in California, by county
16 California counties have at least 3 private and 3 public high schools with a 2025 UC Reach Score (UC admits per 100 seniors, counted at each campus). Each county page sets the two groups side by side: medians, the top ten of each, and where the data allows, the comparison at the same GPA.
| County | Private schools with a score | Public schools with a score |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | 14 | 32 |
| Contra Costa County | 6 | 30 |
| Los Angeles County | 83 | 258 |
| Marin County | 4 | 7 |
| Monterey County | 4 | 15 |
| Orange County | 16 | 70 |
| Riverside County | 7 | 58 |
| Sacramento County | 8 | 39 |
| San Bernardino County | 6 | 54 |
| San Diego County | 17 | 77 |
| San Francisco County | 13 | 13 |
| San Mateo County | 10 | 19 |
| Santa Barbara County | 5 | 11 |
| Santa Clara County | 13 | 44 |
| Sonoma County | 3 | 12 |
| Ventura County | 3 | 21 |
For one private school against its best nearby public school, see is it worth the tuition?. Private schools by metro are on best private high schools by metro; every school in a county is on the county index.
The median is the middle UC Reach Score among each group's schools with a 2025 score. "Public" means district and charter schools with at least 100 seniors, as in the rankings (online, independent-study and alternative programs are left out); private schools of any size are included. Counties with fewer than 3 scored schools in either group have no comparison page.