Solano County high schools make the grade – Times Herald Online
Local public high schools posted strong rankings in areas such as college readiness, state assessment testing and graduation rates, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best High Schools rankings released this week.
The rankings include data from more than 24,000 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 18,000 schools earned rankings based on six factors, including their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.
While Solano County’s schools ranked in the top half of the national assessment, several stood out even further when ranked in the Vallejo Metropolitan Area. A metropolitan area is a statistical area that includes a large, core city and its surrounding, communities (suburbs, exurbs, and even intervening rural areas) that share a high degree of social and economic ties, particularly in employment and commuting patterns.
The top five local schools ranked in order for the Vallejo Metropolitan Area are: Public Safety Academy in Fairfield, Benicia High School, Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy, Rodriguez High School and Vanden High School.
Vacaville High School was ranked sixth, followed by Dixon High School, Will C. Wood High School, Jesse Bethel High School, and rounding out the list were Vallejo High School, Armijo High School and Fairfield High School.
Reaction to the rankings was swift from local school leaders.
“We are incredibly proud that two of our schools have earned recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools rankings,” said Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Superintendent Jennifer Sachs. “This honor reflects the dedication of our students, the commitment of our educators, and the support of our families and community.”
In particular, she praised Public Safety Academy Principal Jason Fischer and Rodriguez High School Principal Kristen Cherry “for their leadership and dedication to creating school environments where students can excel.”
Fisher praised students, staff and community.
“This achievement is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our students, educators, support staff, families, and community partners. At PSA, we strive to provide a rigorous, supportive, and service-oriented learning environment where students not only excel academically but also develop the character and leadership skills to thrive in college, career, and life,” he said. “I have no doubt our students will continue to thrive as scholars, leaders, and community members.”
Cherry called the rankings “an opportunity to celebrate the commitment of our teachers, staff, and families who work every day to ensure that our students have the opportunities and support they need to succeed.” She added, “Our students are Mustangs through and through, and I am certain they will ride into successful futures.”
Buckingham’s top rating, which also included ranking it the No. 1 high school in the city, reinforces what Vacaville Unified School District has always believed, said Superintendent Ed Santopadre.
“Buckingham’s recognition reflects the incredible dedication of its staff, students, and families, and the strength of our district as a whole,” he said. “This honor reinforces our belief that we’re more than a diploma here in Vacaville. We’re committed to preparing every student for success in college, career, and life.”
Buckingham Principal Samantha Working was equally pleased.
“We are honored to be recognized among the best high schools,” she said. “As a charter school within Vacaville Unified, we’re proud to offer both the close-knit feel of a small school and the wide range of opportunities, academic excellence, athletics, arts, and career pathways that prepare students for college and beyond.”
Nationally, the top 8 schools in the Vallejo Metropolitan All ranked in the top 40 percent of schools in the report. The top six were also in the top 40 percent in the California rankings.
Public Safety Academy was ranked No. 1,022 in the national rankings and No. 133 in the California rankings. Benicia ranted No. 2,639 nationally and No. 368 in California; Buckingham ranked 3,255th nationally and 446th in California; Rodriguez ranked No. 4,366 nationally and No. 572 in California; Vanden ranked No. 4,577 in nationally and No. 588 in California; Vacaville ranked No. 5,199 nationally and No. 655 in California; Dixon ranked No. 7,128 nationally and No. 846 in California; Will C. Wood ranked No. 9,671 nationally and No. 1,051 in California; Bethel ranked No. 12,807 nationally and No. 1,263 in California; and Vallejo, Armijo and Fairfield each had a ranking of No. 13,427-17,901 nationally and No. 1,307-1,646 in California.
Before graduating from a California high school, students must complete a minimum of 13 state-mandated courses, including three years of English, two years of math and two years of science. Students in California are tested on English language arts and mathematics using the Smarter Balanced assessments, and they also must take the California Science Test.
The U.S. News rankings were based on weighted analysis with college readiness counting for 30 percent of the score. It was measured by the proportion of seniors who too and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP (Advance Placement) or IB (International Baccalaureate) exam.
The weighted system gave 20 percent of the score each for state assessment proficiency and performance, 10 percent for state assessment scores aggregated just among underserved student populations; 10 percent for the proportion of seniors who took and earned qualified scores on AP and IB exams in multiple areas; and 10 percent for the proportion of entering ninth graders who graduated four academic years later.
“A great high school educates all of its students from different social and economic backgrounds, exposing them to challenging coursework on the path to graduation,” the U.S. News and World Report noted. “The highest ranked U.S. public schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best High Schools rankings are those whose students demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math, reading and science state assessments, earned qualifying scores on an array of college-level exams, and graduated in high proportions.”
The magazine conducted the analysis coordination with North Carolina-based RTI-International, a global nonprofit social science research firm.
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