North Hillsborough Elementary ranked 27th among 5,920 public elementary schools in California in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings, released Oct. 20.
The school earned a score of 99.56 out of 100 and ranked first in the Hillsborough City School District. Its proficiency rate was 90% in each subject, math and reading, on 2023-24 state assessments, according to its U.S. News profile.
All three Hillsborough district elementary schools placed among California’s top 70. South Hillsborough ranked 49th with a score of 99.19, while West Hillsborough ranked 70th with a score of 98.83.
Hoover leads Burlingame’s district
Hoover Elementary was the highest-ranked elementary school in the Burlingame Elementary School District, placing 133rd statewide with a score of 97.75.
Hoover’s proficiency rates were 90% in math and 86% in reading on the 2023-24 assessments.
The Hillsborough schools also exceeded the statewide comparison figures displayed in the U.S. News profiles: 38% proficient or above in math and 44% in reading. North Hillsborough’s rate was more than twice each of those figures.
Local educational context
The Hillsborough district operates three elementary schools and one middle school. Its district overview emphasizes social and emotional learning alongside academics, as well as support from staff, families, the school board and community organizations.
In her introductory message to the district, Superintendent Ana de Arce described an educational goal in which “we prepare students to thrive in a world that has yet to be imagined.”
That message was not a response to the new rankings.
How the rankings work
U.S. News ranked 46,713 public elementary schools across the country. Schools receive state and district rankings rather than a national elementary-school ranking.
The formula gives equal weight to four measures: math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance. Half assesses academic results without demographic adjustments, while the other half considers results in the context of socioeconomic demographics, according to the publication’s explanation.
California’s top 10 elementary schools
The 2027 U.S. News California rankings list:
- Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter, El Dorado Hills
- Cold Spring Elementary, Santa Barbara
- Murdock-Portal Elementary, San Jose
- William Faria Elementary, Cupertino
- North Star Academy, Redwood City
- Herbert Hoover Elementary, Palo Alto
- Covington Elementary, Los Altos
- Bullis Charter, Los Altos
- Elkhorn, Stockton
- Jack L. Weaver Elementary, Los Alamitos
