The honest Fresno answer ·
Fresno and Clovis schools: a newcomer’s guide
Top-ranked high schools, the two big districts, magnet and charter options, and how boundaries work.
For most families, schools decide the neighborhood. Here is how schooling works in Fresno and Clovis, and which schools stand out.
The two big districts
- Fresno Unified is California’s third-largest school district, serving most of the city. Like many California districts, its enrollment has been declining as birth rates fall and families move.
- Clovis Unified serves Clovis and parts of north and northeast Fresno, with more than 43,000 students, making it one of the largest districts in the state. Many families move specifically for a Clovis Unified boundary.
Part of north Fresno is in Clovis Unified, so a Fresno address can still be a Clovis Unified home.
Top-ranked high schools
In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings, these Fresno-area public high schools placed highest in California:
- University High School: #7 in California and #63 nationally. A small, college-prep charter on the Fresno State campus, known for its emphasis on music.
- Clovis North High School: #95 in California (Clovis Unified)
- Edison High School: #177 in California (Fresno Unified)
- Clovis West High School: #246 in California (Clovis Unified)
- Buchanan High School: #285 in California (Clovis Unified)
- Clovis High School: #349 in California (Clovis Unified)
- Clovis East High School: #387 in California (Clovis Unified)
Magnet and specialty programs
- Computech Middle School (Fresno Unified, grades 7–8) is a technology-focused magnet school for gifted students, admitted by application and interview. It has been named a National Blue Ribbon School five times.
- Fresno Unified also has specialty high schools such as Duncan Polytechnical and the Patino School of Entrepreneurship, both in the 2025 California rankings.
Private and heritage schools
Fresno has many private and faith-based schools. For Armenian families, the Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School in Clovis offers preschool through 6th grade with daily Armenian language and culture. See our Armenian Fresno guide.
How to choose
1. Confirm the boundary for the exact address. Boundaries can split a street, so check the district’s school-locator tool before you make an offer. 2. Look beyond rankings. Visit, ask about class sizes, programs, language support and after-school options. 3. Plan magnet and charter applications early. Many have deadlines months before the school year.
Want help matching neighborhoods to schools? Book a consultation and we’ll narrow your areas together.
Rankings: U.S. News & World Report 2025, as reported by GV Wire (August 2025). District sizes: California Department of Education via ABC30 (May 2024) and Fresnoland (July 2026).
