Mariposa County High

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa County High serves a tight-knit rural community where students grow up with Yosemite practically in their backyard — and that sense of place shapes the school's culture in a real way. Performing solidly in the mid-tier statewide, it's a good fit for families who value a smaller, close-knit high school experience over the anonymity of a larger suburban campus. If you're drawn to a quieter, nature-surrounded lifestyle and want your teenager to be known by name rather than student ID number, Mariposa is the kind of town — and this is the kind of school — worth a serious look.