The Best Schools in America's 50 Largest Cities

Catlin Gabel School ranks as the top school not just in the Portland area, but the entire state of Oregon. The private school accepts students from pre-K through 12th grade. The school earned an overall A+ grade from educational data platform Niche as well as top marks for its academics, teachers, clubs and activities, and college prep.

Catlin Gabel School has a 67-acre campus, allowing students to learn in nature. The school ranks as the top STEM high school in the state, not just in the Portland area.

Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics ranks as the top school in the Oklahoma City area. Unlike most of the top schools on this list, OSSM is a public school. OSSM earned an A+ overall grade from educational data platform Niche as well as A+ grades for its academics, teachers, health and safety, and college prep.

The students at OSSM benefit from small class sizes, with a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Nationwide, the ratio is 17:1. The school is open to 11th and 12th grade students only and has an enrollment of 150.

The top school in the Las Vegas area is The Meadows School. The private school accepts students from pre-K through 12th grade and has an annual tuition of nearly $29,000.

The Meadows School earned an A+ overall grade as well as A+ grades for its academics and college prep. The school provides students with regular college counseling sessions beginning in eighth grade. It also has a 100% graduation rate, and students report average SAT scores of 1400 and average ACT scores of 31, both well above average.

The Louisville, Kentucky, area’s top school is DuPont Manual High School. Though most top schools in the country are private, DuPont Manual High School is a magnet school. It is not just the area’s top school, but ranks as the best high school in all of Kentucky.

DuPont Manual High School earned an overall A+ grade from school data platform Niche as well as A+ grades for its academics, clubs and activities, and college prep. The school has a 99% graduation rate, and its students report average SAT and ACT scores well above average.

The Baltimore area’s top school is The Bryn Mawr School, a private, all-girls school that educates students from pre-K through 12th grade. The school earned an overall A+ grade from educational data platform Niche as well as top marks for its academics, teachers, clubs and activities, and college prep.

Students in higher grades at The Bryn Mawr School participate in the Personalized Pathways program, allowing them to select one of three areas in which they can expand their education and work on a senior year capstone project: arts, global studies, or STEM/entrepreneurship.