Public high schools are a necessity, but the one near you may not necessarily be the best for your student. Finding the best school district near you, even if it’s a distance away, might be worth it to see your child succeed. However, if you have the money, private schools are also an option.
The National Assessment of Education Progress, a U.S. Department of Education program, found that in 2019, just 37% of high school seniors were proficient in reading, and only 24% were proficient in math. Still, despite the apparent deficiencies of the education system at large, many public schools across the country have distinguished themselves through exceptional student outcomes.
Using data compiled by Niche, an education and community research platform, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 50 best public high schools in America for 2024. Niche ranked schools based on a weighted index of multiple measures, including standardized test results, graduation rates, AP enrollment, student-teacher ratios, and parent and student surveys. A full description of each measure and its weighting is available here. Charter and magnet schools were excluded from the analysis. As you might notice from the list below, some states are known for having more of the best and worst schools.
Among the 50 top-ranking public high schools in the United States, graduation rates range from 93% to 100%. Additionally, in each school on this list with available standardized test data, average ACT and SAT scores exceed the national averages of 20.3 out of 36 and 1050 out of 1600, respectively. Part of this could be due to some amazing teachers, while others might have exceptional funding or great programs. (Here is a look at the best places for teachers in America.)
Why We Are Writing About Schools
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Education plays a large role in how the country works, including how people get more money, and the efficiency of businesses and corporations. For those looking to have their kids do well as they grow up, it’s important to make sure your kid has a fighting chance. These top 50 high schools give kids the education and resources they need to get into great colleges, and later get a high-paying job and life-long career.
Here are the 50 best public high schools in America:
50. Radnor Senior High School
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- Location: Radnor, PA
- Percent of students who graduate on average: 98%
Radnor Senior High School has 1,165 students and a ratio of 13 students for every teacher. 83 percent of the students here are in AP courses. The average SAT score is 1350 and the average ACT score is 31.
49. Weston High School
- Location: Weston, MA
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Weston High School has only 638 students, and 11 students for every teacher. Roughly 61.9 percent of students are in an AP course. The average SAT score is 1340 while the average ACT score is 31.
48. Winston Churchill High School
- Location: Potomac, MD
- Avg. graduation rate: 96%
Winston Churchhill High School has 2,212 students and enough teachers for them to handle 18 students at a time. There are 73.2 students enrolled in one or more AP courses. The average SAT score is 1380 and the average ACT score is 31.
47. Jericho Senior High School
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- Location: Jericho, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Jerico Senior High School has 1,205 students, making a student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1. 1420 is the average SAT score and 31 is the average ACT score. 58.3 students are in AP courses.
46. Great Neck South High School
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- Location: Great Neck, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 97%
Great Neck South High School has 1,222 students, about 46 percent of whom are in an AP course. There are 11 students for every teacher. 1400 is the average SAT score and 31 is the average ACT score for kids enrolled here.
45. Conestoga Senior High School
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- Location: Berwyn, PA
- Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Conestoga High School has 2,355 students and a teacher to handle every 16 students on average. The average SAT score is 1360 and the average ACT score is 30. There are roughly 51 students enrolled in an AP course.
44. Hinsdale Central High School
- Location: Hinsdale, IL
- Avg. graduation rate: 94%
This high school had 2,544 students, with one teacher for every 13 or so kids. 40.4 percent of children enrolled are in at least one AP course. 1360 and 31 are the average SAT and ACT scores respectively.
43. University High School
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Avg. graduation rate: 94%
University High School has 2,097 students and 25 students for every teacher. 44.5 percent of students are enrolled in AP courses. The average SAT score is 1400 and the average ACT score is 31.
42. Palo Alto High School
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Avg. graduation rate: 97%
Palo Alto High School usually has around 2,010 students enrolled and a student-teacher ratio of around 17 to 1. Though less than half, 42.5 percent, of students are in an AP course, the average SAT score is 1400 and the average ACT score is 31.
41. Walt Whitman High School
- Location: Bethesda, MD
- Avg. graduation rate: 96%
Walt Whitman High school has 18 students for every teacher for a total of 2,029 students. 65 percent are enrolled in AP courses. The average SAT score is 1380 while the average ACT score is 31.
40. Lexington High School
- Location: Lexington, MA
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Lexington High School has plenty of teachers for the average 2,273 students with a ratio of 12 students for every teacher. 44.6 percent of students are in AP courses. 1390 and 32 are the average scores for the SAT and ACT respectively.
39. Westwood High IB World School
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- Location: Austin, TX
- Avg. graduation rate: 98%
With 2,781 students, this Austin school has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. 49.6 students are in at least one AP course. The average ACT score is 31 and the average SAT score is 1360.
38. Glenbrook North High School
- Location: Northbrook, IL
- Avg. graduation rate: 98%
The student-teacher ratio is 13 to 1 at this school, with 2,052 students enrolled. 31 percent are in at least one AP course. The average SAT and ACT scores are 1340 and 3 respectively.
37. High School Math Science & Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY)
- Location: New York, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
This New York school has about 524 students for a ratio of 16 students to every teacher. The average scores for the SAT and the ACT are 1420 and 31 respectively. 96 percent of students are in AP classes.
36. River Hill High School
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- Location: Clarksville, MD
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
River Hill High School has 1,508 students or so, for an average of 18 students to 1 teacher. About 62 percent of students there are enrolled in AP courses. 31 is the average ACT score while 1370 is the average SAT score.
35. Glenbrook South High School
- Location: Glenview, IL
- Avg. graduation rate: 98%
This Glenview High School has 3,080 students, and a ratio of 14 students for ever teacher. About 31 students are in an AP course. The SAT scores average out to 1310 while the ACT score averages out to 30.
34. Neuqua Valley High School
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- Location: Naperville, IL
- Avg. graduation rate: 98%
This high school has 3,297 students in its halls, for an average of 15 students to 1 teacher. 44.4 percent of students are in an AP course. 1330 is the average SAT score while 29 is the average ACT.
33. New Trier Township High School
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- Location: Winnetka, IL
- Avg. graduation rate: 98%
New Trier Township High School has just under 3,000 students with 1 teacher for every 12 students. The average ACT score is 30 and the average SAT score is 1350. There are about 29 students in an AP course here.
32. The College Academy at Broward College
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- Location: Davie, FL
- Avg. graduation rate: 100%
The College Academy in Davie, Florida has a ratio of 27 to 1 students to teachers, with about 466 students. Every student is known to graduate and come out with an average SAT score of 1300 and an ACT score of 28.
31. Bergen County Technical High School – Teterboro
- Location: Teterboro, NJ
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
This Teterboro technical high school has about 678 students and a ratio of 1 teacher for every 10 students. 66 percent of the students are in AP courses and the SAT score averages out to 1390 while the ACT score is about 32.
30. Aspire, Deer Valley’s Online Academy
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- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Avg. graduation rate: 94%
This online academy has 370 students enrolled at one time on average, and a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1. Since it’s just an online school, SAT and ACT scores are not necessarily connected to information about the school as students have to register for those separately.
29. West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School
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- Location: West Lafayette, IN
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
West Lafayette’s high school has 1,100 students enrolled and a 13 to 1 ratio of students to teachers. There are only about 35 percent of students enrolled in an AP course, but the average SAT score is 1350, and the average ACT score is 32.
28. Carroll Senior High School
- Location: Southlake, TX
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Carroll Senior High School has 1,394 students on average, which makes for a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. About 62 percent of students are in an AP course. The average ACT score is 30 and the average SAT score is 1350.
27. Ladue Horton Watkins High School
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- Location: St Louis, MO
- Avg. graduation rate: 97%
This high school has 14 students to 1 teacher on average and 1,324 students. Just under half, 48.6 percent, of students are in AP classes. 1450 is the rather impressive average SAT score while 29 is the average ACT score.
26. Bard High School Early College Queens
- Location: Long Island City, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
675 is the average number of students, with a ratio of 12 students to one teacher. The testing scores are 1360 and 30 for the SAT and ACT respectively.
25. Half Hollow Hills High School West
- Location: Dix Hills, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 93%
Even with 1,035 students, the student-teacher ratio is nine to one. 85.5 percent of students are in AP courses. The average SAT score is 1290 and the average ACT score is 29.
24. Academy of the Canyons
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- Location: Santa Clarita, CA
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
The student-teacher ratio for the Academy of the Canyons is 28 to 1 with just under 400 students. 1330 is the average score for the SAT while 30 is the average for the ACT.
23. Westlake High School
- Location: Austin, TX
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Westlake High School has 2,823 students on average, with over 99 percent of them graduating. The ratio is 14 to 1 students to teachers. 68.8 percent of students are in at least one AP class and the average testing scores are 1360 for the SAT and 31 for the ACT.
22. Canyon Crest Academy
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- Location: San Diego, CA
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
With 2,346 students enrolled in this San Diego school, the graduation rate is 99 percent and the ratio of students to teachers is 28 to 1. The SAT score averages out to 1420 while the ACT score is about 32. 56.7 percent of students are in an AP course.
21. School for Advanced Studies – Wolfson
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- Location: Miami, FL
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Wolfson offers a student-teacher ratio of 41 to 1 with around 123 students. Almost every child is in an AP course. 1330 and 29 are the respective average scores for the SATs and the ACTs.
20. University High School
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- Location: Tucson, AZ
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
This school has a high ratio of students to teachers, about 23 to 1. There are 1,129 students with a 99 percent graduation rate and 100 percent of students in an AP course. 1340 and 30 are the respective average scores for the SAT and ACT.
19. Henry M. Gunn High School
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Avg. graduation rate: 96%
With 1,868 students, the ratio of students to teachers is 17 to 1. About 40 percent of students are enrolled in AP courses. Meanwhile, 1430 and 32 are the respective averages for the SAT and the ACT.
18. Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts
- Location: Hot Springs, AR
- Avg. graduation rate: 100%
255 students make the student-teacher ratio at this Arkansas school eight to one. 30 is the average ACT score while 1390 is the average for the SAT.
17. High School of American Studies at Lehman College
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- Location: Bronx, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
The student-teacher ratio in Lehman College is 144 to 1 with 408 students. About 70 percent are enrolled in an AP course. 33 is the average ACT score and 1430 is the average score for the SAT.
16. School for Advanced Studies – Homestead
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- Location: Homestead, FL
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
There are almost no students in this Homestead school, only about 133. The student-teacher ratio is 33 to 1. However, pretty much every child is enrolled in an AP course. The average SAT and ACT scores are 1300 and 28 respectively.
15. Scarsdale Senior High School
- Location: Scarsdale, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
The student-teacher ratio in Scarsdale is 11 to 1 with 1,471 students or so. Almost every student graduates and passes the SAT and ACT with flying colors with the average scores being 1420 and 32 respectively.
14. Biotechnology High School
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- Location: Freehold, NJ
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
With 315 students, the student-teacher ratio is 12 to 1. Not many students are in AP classes, with only about 22.6 percent of the students taking one. However, they’re great at taking the ACT with an average score of 34. The SAT score average is also pretty good at 1490.
13. Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science
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- Location: Manahawkin, NJ
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
This school has 274 students for a student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1. Their SAT scores are usually around 1430 while their ACT scores are around 33.
12. Troy High School
- Location: Fullerton, CA
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Troy High School in California has about 2,614 students and a student-teacher ratio of 23 to 1. About 67 percent of students take AP classes. The average SAT score is 1400 and the average ACT score is 32.
11. A.D. Henderson University School & FAU High School
- Location: Boca Raton, FL
- Avg. graduation rate: 100%
With about 1,300 students, the student-teacher ratio is at a very high 30 to 1 at this high school. However, with a graduation rate of 100 percent, ACT scores averaging 31, and SAT scores near 1370, this school isn’t suffering for its lack of teachers.
10. Adlai E. Stevenson High School
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- Location: Lincolnshire, IL
- Avg. graduation rate: 97%
This high school has 4,392 students, half of which are enrolled in an AP course. The student-teacher ratio is 16 to 1. The average SAT score is 1360 and the average ACT is 31.
9. High Technology High School
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- Location: Lincroft, NJ
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
There aren’t many teachers at the High Technology High School. Though the ratio is 13 to 1, there are under 300 students on average. 43.6 percent of the students are enrolled in an AP course. Where these students do best though is during testing. The average ACT score is 33 while the average SAT score is 1530.
8. Stuyvesant High School
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- Location: New York, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Stuyvesant has a pretty high student-teacher ratio of 21 to 1 with 3,300 students enrolled on average. Also, only 55 percent of students are enrolled in an AP course. However, that hasn’t stopped these kids from excelling with an average graduation rate of 99 percent, 1500 as the average SAT score, and 33 as the average ACT score.
7. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
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- Location: Lawrenceville, GA
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Gwinnett has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1, with 1,165 students. Only 72 percent of students are enrolled in an AP course. The average SAT score is 1390 and the ACT score is 31.
6. Townsend Harris High School
- Location: Flushing, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
This high school in Flushing has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1 with about 1,347 students. The average ACT score is 32 and the average SAT score is 1420. Roughly 90 percent of students are in an AP course.
5. Bronx High School of Science
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- Location: Bronx, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
The Bronx High School of Science has a student-teacher ratio of 21 to one, with about 3,000 students. Only about 68 percent of students are enrolled in AP courses. The SAT scores average out to 1450, while the ACT scores are about 33.
4. Staten Island Technical High School
- Location: Staten Island, NY
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Staten Island Technical High School has an average graduation rate of 99 percent. There are around 1,355 students enrolled for a rather high ratio of 19 students to 1 teacher. However, this hasn’t affected the children much with over 95 percent of students in an AP course. Additionally, 1440 is the average SAT score and 33 is the average ACT score.
3. South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics
- Location: Hartsville, SC
- Avg. graduation rate: 95%
This South Carolina School enrolls about 300 students at a time, most of which are in AP courses. The average SAT score is 1380 and the ACT score is 31. About 95 percent of students graduate.
2. Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
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- Location: Oklahoma City, OK
- Avg. graduation rate: 100%
Oklahoma’s School of Science and Mathematics has a very low enrollment, around 120 students. Because of this, it’s able to keep a student-teacher ratio of about four to one. Pretty much every student graduates. The average SAT score is 1420 and the ACT score is 32.
1. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
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- Location: Durham, NC
- Avg. graduation rate: 99%
The North Carolina School of Science and Music is the number one school in the United States. It has an average SAT score of 1450 and an ACT score of 33. There are usually close to 1,000 students enrolled, with a student-teacher ratio of eight to one.
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