Weston, Barlow High Schools Among CT's Top 25: Niche

REDDING, CT — Both area high schools earned high marks in Niche's annual best Connecticut public high schools list.

Weston High School ranked ninth, with an overall grade of A+. It also scored top honors for academics and college prep. The school received an A- for teachers and clubs/activities, and C+ for diversity and administration.

Joel Barlow High School in Redding ranked #17, also with an overall grade of A+. Barlow scored an A+ for its teachers and academics as well, an A for college prep, B+ for clubs/activities, B for administration and C+ for diversity.

Staples High School in Westport ranked first in Connecticut for public high schools and 144th in the country. New Canaan High School ranked second and Darien High came in third.

Niche said its rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.

The education ratings gurus said their rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.

Niche named the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, North Carolina, the top public school. Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, is the best private school.

As in previous years, the Best Schools rankings include categories for boarding, charter and magnet schools as well as schools for STEM and the arts among many others.

Here are the top 25 public high schools in Connecticut, according to Niche:

1. Staples High School, Westport (#144, Best Public High Schools in U.S.)
2. New Canaan High School (#82, Best High Schools for Athletes in U.S.)
3. Darien High School (#40, Best High Schools for Athletes in U.S.)
4. Greenwich High School
5. Wilton High School
6. Avon High School
7. Farmington High School
8. Glastonbury High School
9. Weston High School
10. Fairfield Warde High School, Fairfield
11. Ridgefield High School
12. Marine Science Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut, Groton
13. Conard High School, West Hartford
14. Simsbury High School
15. Center for Global Studies, Norwalk
16. Hall High School, West Hartford
17. Joel Barlow High School, Redding
18. Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy, East Hartford
19. Daniel Hand High School, Madison
20. The Academy of Information Technology & Engineering, Stamford
21. Guilford High School
22. Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge
23. Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield
24. Masuk High School, Monroe
25. Cheshire High School

You can view the full rankings here.