For the first time in Innovate Public Schools’ history, our Top Schools Report is statewide, and the results are both inspiring and urgent.
We analyzed all 9,158 public schools in California and identified just 550 Top Schools, accounting for only 6% of schools statewide, that are closing opportunity gaps for Black and Latino students and setting them on a path to college success. These schools prove that a different future is possible.
The Top Schools Report celebrates the schools that are closing opportunity gaps for Black and Latino students across California. Its purpose is threefold:
- Identify and celebrate schools that are closing opportunity gaps for historically underserved students.
- Learn from and demonstrate what is possible, driving all schools to do better for underserved students.
- Make data publicly accessible so families and educators can make informed decisions about school quality and equity.
At Innovate, we believe that education has the power to transform lives. Our mission is to ensure that every child, regardless of race, income, or zip code, has access to a high-quality public school that prepares them for success in college, career, and life. This report is a powerful reflection of that vision, highlighting schools that are proving that equity and excellence can coexist.
Unlike simple school rankings, Top Schools uses rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria to spotlight schools that are truly serving historically underserved communities. We include schools that test at least 95% of students and exclude those with selective admissions. See the full data here.
And the data show that these schools are transforming lives:
- 62% of Latino and Black students attending Top Schools are eligible for California’s public universities.
- 51% of Top Schools are in Los Angeles County, showing that systems-level change is possible even at scale.
- In the Bay Area, only 4% of schools make the list, a sobering reminder that much work remains to ensure every child has access to an excellent education.
For too long, systemic racism in education has denied Latino and Black students the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Top Schools are proving that when schools are held to high expectations and supported to succeed, students thrive.
This report is a call to action for parents, educators, advocates, and policymakers to demand better and build a more just education system. At Innovate, we’re committed to working alongside families and communities to make sure that what these 550 schools have achieved becomes the norm, not the exception.