Stanislaus County has several public schools recognized among the best in California, according to the latest rankings from Niche. The website, which evaluates schools across the country, released its 2026 Best Schools in America list, using data on academics, diversity, teachers, and college preparation.
Each school was given an overall grade from A+ to D-. “Choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions a family can make,” said Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche. “Our K-12 rankings bring together rigorous data and real experiences from students, parents and educators.”
Gratton Charter School in Denair earned the top spot among Stanislaus County’s public schools for 2026. It also led both the elementary and middle school categories for the county. Among private schools in Stanislaus County, Central Catholic High School in Modesto ranked first, followed by Central Valley Christian Academy in Ceres.
The top ten public elementary schools in Stanislaus County included Gratton Charter School (Denair), Sierra View Elementary (Oakdale), Agnes M. Baptist Elementary (Modesto), Walnut Elementary Education Center (Turlock), Fair Oaks Elementary (Oakdale), Hickman Elementary (Hickman), Connecting Waters Charter School (Modesto), Paradise Elementary (Modesto), Cloverland Elementary (Oakdale), and Hart-Ransom Elementary (Modesto).
For public middle schools, Gratton Charter School again ranked first. Other schools in the top ten were Hickman Middle School (Hickman), Elizabeth Ustach Middle School (Modesto), Connecting Waters Charter School (Modesto), Paradise Elementary (Modesto), Hart-Ransom Elementary (Modesto), Roberts Ferry Charter School Academy (Waterford), Keyes to Learning Charter School (Keyes), Shiloh Charter School (Modesto) and Roberts Ferry Union Elementary School (Waterford).
James C. Enochs High School in Modesto topped the list of public high schools for 2026. Other high schools among the top ten included Whitmore Charter High School (Ceres), John H. Pitman High School (Turlock), Joseph A. Gregori High School (Modesto), Oakdale High School (Oakdale), Connecting Waters Charter School (Modesto), Central Valley High School (Ceres), Hughson High School (Hughson), Keyes to Learning Charter School (Keyes) and Oakdale Charter School (Oakdale).
Niche compiled its rankings using recent data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Census Bureau along with millions of reviews from students, parents, and residents. According to Niche: “Key factors include academics, teachers, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, and more.”
