Best Schools in Davis, California

Davis, California has 16 ranked public schools, and the system performs well above typical city averages. The citywide average sits at 7.0 out of 10, and half of all ranked schools — 8 of 16 — score 7 or higher. That concentration of strong performers in a single mid-sized city is notable, and parents comparing options across the region will find Davis punches above its weight at nearly every grade level.

The elementary tier is where Davis shines brightest. Fairfield Elementary leads the city with an 8.7 out of 10, the top score among all 16 ranked schools. North Davis Elementary follows at 8.2, and Patwin Elementary rounds out the upper tier at 7.8. Parents choosing between neighborhoods should pay close attention to elementary boundaries — the spread between the top and middle of this tier is meaningful.

The middle school picture is similarly strong. Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior High scores 8.5, making it the second-highest-rated school in the city. Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High is right behind at 8.4. Both sit comfortably above the citywide average, which means students transitioning out of Davis elementaries are feeding into middle schools that maintain that performance trajectory. That continuity matters for families planning a full K–8 pathway.

For parents doing side-by-side comparisons, a few things stand out. The 7.0 average means even a "median" Davis school outperforms many peer cities. The 50% rate of schools scoring 7 or above signals consistency across the system, not just a handful of outliers pulling the average up. If your priority is a reliably strong school without extensive research, Davis delivers that across most of the map. If you're optimizing hard, the Fairfield and Emerson zones give you a meaningful edge — both score in the top tier across the entire ranked set. Start with boundary lookups for those two, then compare commute and program fit against North Davis and Holmes to find the right balance for your family.