Hi Melissa,
www.GreatSchools.net is a great resource for comparing schools in different areas. It is hard to give you any real solid advice since CA is such a huge state and full of different demographics and districts. If you children work often, homeschooling might be a great option for you. They differ quite a bit depending on which program you choose. We have a list of reputable ones we recommend under "Education".
Hope this helps!