Public education in San Jose is provided by the San Jose Unified Public School District which has 27 elementary schools, 6 middle and 8 high schools. Additionally, three other districts, Milpitas Unified School District, Morgan Hill Unified School District and Santa Clara Unified School District also provide education throughout the San Jose-Santa Clara Valley area.

Private schools in San Jose are mostly managed by religious organizations. The Catholic Diocese of San Jose has the second-largest student enrollment in Santa Clara County, second only to the San Jose Unified District. Others include Liberty Baptist School and White Road Baptist Academy, and Valley Christian High. There is also a non-sectarian K-12 Harker School in San Jose.

San Jose is home to San Jose State University with some 30,000 students, most of whom are commuters from the San Francisco South Bay area. National Hispanic University, Silicon Valley College, Lincoln Law School, San Jose City College, Evergreen Valley College and the San Jose campus of Golden Gate University are located in San Jose.