Best Public High School in Every State
Tim Evanson / Wikimedia Commons 26. Montana > High school: Bozeman High School > Students: 2,106 > Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 > Avg. SAT score: 1,290 > Median household income in district: $49,217 brklynn / Flickr 27. Nebraska > High school:…
The majority of countries in the world guarantee the right to a free education in their constitutions — and many of those that do not are signatories to a U.N. treaty that protects the right to education. The United States, however, does not fall into either group.
Without constitutional protection, public education in this country falls largely to the authority of state governments. As a result, school quality varies considerably from state to state — these are the states with the best and worst schools.
Though all school districts within a given state are subject to the same set of standards, their similarities often end there. Just as school quality and student achievement vary among states, they can also vary considerably within a given state. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed rankings for all public schools from school data clearinghouse Niche to determine the best public high school in every state.
School quality and student outcomes are subject to a wide range of social and economic factors, not the least of which is school funding. School funding can have an impact on a number of practical implications, including class size, teaching quality, and course offerings — and better-funded schools often report greater student achievement.
Nearly half of all public school funding comes from local sources, chiefly property taxes. As a result, school funding varies from district to district, with high schools in wealthier districts generally having more resources. Not surprisingly, many of the high schools on this list are in high income areas. These are the richest towns in each state.
It is important to note that several high schools on this list, while public, are independent of any school district’s jurisdiction. These include charter schools and magnet schools that bring in students from outside the boundaries of what would be considered a normal school zone. Many of these have academic standards for admission.
Click here to see the best public high school in every state
Click here to read our methodology
1. Alabama
> High school: Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School
> Students: 499
> Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,360
> Median household income in district: $44,985
[entry-topics ids=”8017″]
2. Alaska
> High school: Mat-Su Career & Tech Education High School
> Students: 582
> Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,160
> Median household income in district: $74,887
[entry-topics ids=”176″]
3. Arizona
> High school: Basis Scottsdale
> Students: 1,081
> Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,470
> Median household income in district: $80,306
[entry-topics ids=”24592″]
4. Arkansas
> High school: Haas Hall Academy
> Students: 344
> Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,340
> Median household income in district: $41,158
[entry-topics ids=”50255″]
5. California
> High school: Henry M. Gunn High School
> Students: 1,896
> Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,410
> Median household income in district: $140,744
[entry-topics ids=”1337″]
6. Colorado
> High school: Cherry Creek High School
> Students: 3,573
> Student-teacher ratio: 20:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,340
> Median household income in district: $81,079
[entry-topics ids=”180″]
7. Connecticut
> High school: Staples High School
> Students: 1,853
> Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,280
> Median household income in district: $181,360
[entry-topics ids=”22247″]
8. Delaware
> High school: Charter School of Wilmington
> Students: 971
> Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,350
> Median household income in district: $64,162
[entry-topics ids=”3426″]
9. Florida
> High school: Pine View School
> Students: 2,051
> Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,370
> Median household income in district: $55,236
[entry-topics ids=”1657″]
10. Georgia
> High school: Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
> Students: 979
> Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,360
> Median household income in district: $64,676
[entry-topics ids=”22721″]
11. Hawaii
> High school: Mililani High School
> Students: 2,533
> Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,150
> Median household income in district: $74,923
[entry-topics ids=”14042″]
12. Idaho
> High school: Boise Senior High School
> Students: 1,546
> Student-teacher ratio: 20:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,250
> Median household income in district: $52,257
[entry-topics ids=”59347″]
13. Illinois
> High school: Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
> Students: 647
> Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,450
> Median household income in district: $66,848
[entry-topics ids=”11106″]
14. Indiana
> High school: Signature School
> Students: 361
> Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,350
> Median household income in district: $36,956
[entry-topics ids=”35717″]
15. Iowa
> High school: West Senior High School
> Students: 2,083
> Student-teacher ratio: 20:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,430
> Median household income in district: $54,951
[entry-topics ids=”59348″]
16. Kansas
> High school: Blue Valley North High School
> Students: 1,589
> Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,400
> Median household income in district: $78,217
[entry-topics ids=”14041″]
17. Kentucky
> High school: DuPont Manual High School
> Students: 1,895
> Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,380
> Median household income in district: $52,146
[entry-topics ids=”59349″]
18. Louisiana
> High school: Benjamin Franklin High School
> Students: 945
> Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,340
> Median household income in district: $38,721
[entry-topics ids=”59350″]
19. Maine
> High school: Maine School of Science & Mathematics
> Students: 145
> Student-teacher ratio: 8:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,410
> Median household income in district: $39,643
[entry-topics ids=”36448″]
20. Maryland
> High school: Poolesville High School
> Students: 1,180
> Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,390
> Median household income in district: $103,178
[entry-topics ids=”28049″]
21. Massachusetts
> High school: Massachusetts Academy of Math & Science
> Students: 97
> Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,480
> Median household income in district: $53,207
[entry-topics ids=”22627″]
22. Michigan
> High school: International Academy
> Students: 1,371
> Student-teacher ratio: 108:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,400
> Median household income in district: $126,679
[entry-topics ids=”11110″]
23. Minnesota
> High school: Minnetonka Senior High School
> Students: 3,124
> Student-teacher ratio: 20:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,360
> Median household income in district: $113,709
[entry-topics ids=”19886″]
24. Mississippi
> High school: The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
> Students: 245
> Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,340
> Median household income in district: $34,977
[entry-topics ids=”59351″]
25. Missouri
> High school: Clayton High School
> Students: 867
> Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,340
> Median household income in district: $88,403
[entry-topics ids=”28577″]
26. Montana
> High school: Bozeman High School
> Students: 2,106
> Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,290
> Median household income in district: $49,217
[entry-topics ids=”3837″]
27. Nebraska
> High school: Millard North High School
> Students: 2,522
> Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,370
> Median household income in district: $85,539
[entry-topics ids=”11091″]
28. Nevada
> High school: The Davidson Academy
> Students: 160
> Student-teacher ratio: 8:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,500
> Median household income in district: N/A
[entry-topics ids=”59354″]
29. New Hampshire
> High school: Hanover High School
> Students: 750
> Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,340
> Median household income in district: $118,250
[entry-topics ids=”22615″]
30. New Jersey
> High school: Bergen County Academies
> Students: 1,069
> Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,460
> Median household income in district: $59,277
[entry-topics ids=”22720″]
31. New Mexico
> High school: La Cueva High School
> Students: 1,784
> Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,330
> Median household income in district: $50,521
[entry-topics ids=”59355″]
32. New York
> High school: Stuyvesant High School
> Students: 3,368
> Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,470
> Median household income in district: $190,216
[entry-topics ids=”4614″]
33. North Carolina
> High school: Raleigh Charter High School
> Students: 562
> Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,380
> Median household income in district: $61,505
[entry-topics ids=”20037″]
34. North Dakota
> High school: Fargo Davies High School
> Students: 1,216
> Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,290
> Median household income in district: $50,754
[entry-topics ids=”15103″]
35. Ohio
> High school: Solon High School
> Students: 1,646
> Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,330
> Median household income in district: $98,512
[entry-topics ids=”4458″]
36. Oklahoma
> High school: Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
> Students: 150
> Student-teacher ratio: 6:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,420
> Median household income in district: $39,630
[entry-topics ids=”6084″]
37. Oregon
> High school: School of Science & Technology
> Students: 176
> Student-teacher ratio: 25:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,320
> Median household income in district: $75,599
[entry-topics ids=”59358″]
38. Pennsylvania
> High school: Julia R. Masterman Secondary School
> Students: 1,190
> Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,370
> Median household income in district: $40,649
[entry-topics ids=”11113″]
39. Rhode Island
> High school: Barrington High School
> Students: 1,116
> Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,280
> Median household income in district: $117,408
[entry-topics ids=”9799″]
40. South Carolina
> High school: South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics
> Students: 280
> Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,380
> Median household income in district: $28,070
[entry-topics ids=”11112″]
41. South Dakota
> High school: Brandon Valley High School
> Students: 1,067
> Student-teacher ratio: 22:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,330
> Median household income in district: $83,368
[entry-topics ids=”14040″]
42. Tennessee
> High school: Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet School
> Students: 905
> Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,330
> Median household income in district: $53,419
[entry-topics ids=”59360″]
43. Texas
> High school: School of Science & Engineering
> Students: 418
> Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,360
> Median household income in district: $46,775
[entry-topics ids=”1575″]
44. Utah
> High school: Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy
> Students: 633
> Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,420
> Median household income in district: $81,789
[entry-topics ids=”59361″]
45. Vermont
> High school: Champlain Valley Union High School
> Students: 1,252
> Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,240
> Median household income in district: $56,686
[entry-topics ids=”1866″]
46. Virginia
> High school: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology
> Students: 1,789
> Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,510
> Median household income in district: $117,515
[entry-topics ids=”1834″]
47. Washington
> High school: Tesla STEM High School
> Students: 578
> Student-teacher ratio: 24:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,430
> Median household income in district: $116,279
[entry-topics ids=”8439″]
48. West Virginia
> High school: George Washington High School
> Students: 1,074
> Student-teacher ratio: 20:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,260
> Median household income in district: $46,859
[entry-topics ids=”38858″]
49. Wisconsin
> High school: Whitefish Bay High School
> Students: 924
> Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,340
> Median household income in district: $111,069
[entry-topics ids=”11108″]
50. Wyoming
> High school: Jackson Hole High School
> Students: 681
> Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
> Avg. SAT score: 1,290
> Median household income in district: $80,049
[entry-topics ids=”19422″]
Methodology
To determine the best public high school in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed rankings for all public schools from school and neighborhood data clearinghouse Niche. Data on rank, number of students, student-teacher ratio, and average SAT score, also came from Niche. Data on median household income by school district, came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, when available. All ACS data are five-year estimates. In cases where income data at the school district level was unavailable, or in cases where a high school did not fall within the jurisdiction of a school district, median household income data came from Niche.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Sam Stebbins is a writer at 247WallSt.com where his primary focus is on government policy, politics, companies, and broad social and economic trends. Sam has been writing in the money and news verticals for over 8 years and holds a bachelor's degree from Hobart College, which he earned in 2010. Sam resides in upstate New York and enjoys hiking, biking, canoeing, and skiing in the Adirondack Mountains and across the Northeast.
