These schools were voted the best public or charter 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: Acalanes High School. High school students are encouraged to become knowledgeable, responsible, productive and empowered global citizens. Lafayette. ahs.acalanes.k12.ca.us.
Gold: Oakland School for the Arts. For more than 20 years, this school has been providing students in grades 6-12 with an immersive arts program and a strong academic curriculum. Oakland. oakarts.org.
Peninsula
Gold: Burlingame High School. It aims to provide a responsive learning environment that supports all students in developing the social-emotional and critical thinking skills necessary to meet their academic and personal goals. Burlingame. bhs.smuhsd.org.
Silver: Design Tech High School. Redwood City. designtechhighschool.org.
Silicon Valley
Gold: Leigh High School. Part of the Campbell Union High School District, this school offers a rigorous academic program and a variety of extracurricular activities. San Jose. leigh.cuhsd.org.
Silver: Evergreen Valley High School. San Jose. evergreenvalleyhigh.esuhsd.org.
Bronze: Los Altos High School. Los Altos. lahs.mvla.net.
