These schools were voted the Best Private High Schools in the Bay Area for the 2026 Best of Bay Area Parent reader poll. Read the full list of winners here.
East Bay
Gold: East Bay German International School. This international, multi-language high school offers a college-preparatory curriculum focusing on the International Baccalaureate Diploma program. Emeryville. ebgis.org.
Peninsula
Gold: Notre Dame High School. This Catholic girls’ high school has a rigorous college-preparatory program while also helping students develop compassion, empathy and a vision for how they want to impact the world. Belmont. ndhsb.org.
Silver: Crystal Springs Uplands School. Hillsborough. crystal.org.
Bronze: Sacred Heart Schools. Atherton. shschools.org.
San Francisco/Marin
Gold: Headlands Preparatory School. High school students receive assistance with college planning, including academic preparation, course scheduling and decision-making. Sausalito. headlandsprep.com.
Silver: San Francisco Waldorf High School. San Francisco. sfwaldorf.org.
Silicon Valley
Gold: Bowman School. Core values include an integrated curriculum featuring the Montessori method, global perspective and responsible citizenship. Palo Alto. bowmanschool.org.
Silver: Valley Christian High School. San Jose. vcs.net/high-school.
Bronze: Bellarmine College Preparatory. San Jose. bcp.org.
