Staples Named CT's Top Public High School: New Ranking

WESTPORT, CT — Connecticut may have some issues, a large budget deficit, failing transportation, high tax rate, and a reputation as being unfriendly to businesses. But there is one thing we have going for us and that is a stellar education system. Connecticut routinely ranks near the very top of the best educated states and Niche.com has just released its 2020 list of the 123 best public high schools in Connecticut.

Connecticut's top entrant once again is Staples High School in Westport, which is the 100th best public high school in America, according to Niche.com. The Westport school system also recently was named the state's top district.

Once again, Fairfield and Hartford county high schools dominated the top 10 in Connecticut. The first non-Fairfield and Hartford county school to make the list was Amity High School in Woodbridge at No. 16.

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Niche, a website for researching schools, used a variety of factors, including SAT/ACT scores, student-teacher ratio, the quality of colleges students consider and reviews from students and parents for its ranking.

Niche assigns a standardized score for each factor, which is then weighted before an overall score is calculated for each school district. The overall scores are again standardized and some districts are disqualified from receiving a final letter grade if there isn't enough data.

Here is the list of the top 123 best public high schools in Connecticut:

1. Staples High School
2. New Canaan High School
3. Darien High School
4. Weston High School
5. Greenwich High School
6. Glastonbury High School
7. Conard High School
8. Simsbury High School
9. Wilton High School
10. Fairfield Warde High School
11. Farmington High School
12. Avon High School
13. Hall High School
14. Ridgefield High School
15. Fairfield Ludlowe High School
16. Amity Regional High School
17. Joel Barlow High School
18. Daniel Hand High School
19. East Lyme High School
20. Academy of Aerospace & Engineering
21. Canton High School
22. Guilford High School
23. Marine Science Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut
24. Masuk High School
25. Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy
26. Cheshire High School
27. Newtown High School
28. Trumbull High School
29. Elm City College Preparatory School
30. Achievement First Bridgeport Academy
31. Old Saybrook Senior High School
32. Brookfield High School
33. Rham High School
34. Pomperaug Regional High School
35. Granby Memorial High School
36. South Windsor High School
37. E.O. Smith High School
38. Bethel High School
39. Shepaug Valley School
40. Lyme-Old Lyme High School
41. Suffield High School
42. North Haven High School
43. Valley Regional High School
44. University High School of Science and Engineering
45. Stonington High School
46. Coginchaug Regional High School
47. Lewis S. Mills High School
48. Rocky Hill High School
49. Waterford High School
50. Coventry High School
51. Tolland High School
52. East Granby High School
53. Cromwell High School
54. Northwestern Regional High School
55. Aerospace/Hydrospace Engineering & Physical Sciences at the Fairchild Wheeler Campus
56. Engineering - Science University Magnet School
57. Joseph A. Foran High School
58. Haddam-Killingworth High School
59. Wethersfield High School
60. Robert E. Fitch High School
61. Wheeler High School
62. Bacon Academy
63. Branford High School
64. Oxford High School
65. Litchfield High School
66. Bristol Central High School
67. Middletown High School
68. New Milford High School
69. Westhill High School
70. Brien McMahon High School
71. Berlin High School
72. Windsor High School
73. Westbrook High School
74. Ellington High School
75. Woodland Regional High School
76. The Morgan School
77. Southington High School
78. East Hampton High School
79. Amistad Academy
80. Jonathan Law High School
81. Mark T. Sheehan High School
82. Lyman Hall High School
83. Montville High School
84. Somers High School
85. Ledyard High School
86. Newington High School
87. Wolcott High School
88. Plainville High School
89. Bolton High School
90. Housatonic Valley Regional High School
91. Portland High School
92. Achievement First Hartford Academy
93. Three Rivers Middle College Magnet School
94. Parish Hill High School
95. Seymour High School
96. New Fairfield High School
97. Science & Technology Magnet School of Southeastern Connec
98. Manchester High School
99. Norwalk High School
100. Nonnewaug High School
101. Bristol Eastern High School
102. Stamford High School
103. Shelton High School
104. Stafford High School
105. Hamden High School
106. Griswold High School
107. Bunnell High School
108. Sound School
109. Danbury High School
110. East Hartford High School
111. Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy
112. Information Technology & Software Engineering at the Fairchild Wheeler Campus
113. Lyman Memorial High School
114. Enfield High School
115. Great Path Academy @ Manchester Community College
116. Waterbury Career Academy
117. Sports & Medical Sciences Academy
118. Wamogo Regional High School
119. Stratford High School
120. Rockville High School
121. North Branford High School
122. Ansonia High School
123. Thomaston High School

Public High Schools in CT that weren't ranked but did receive an overall letter grade:
B-
Two Rivers Magnet High School
Nathan Hale-Ray High School
Explorations
Pathways Academy of Technology and Design
Waterbury Arts Magnet School
Common Ground High School
Quinebaug Middle College
Cooperative High School
Wilbur Cross High School
Watertown High School
East Windsor High School
Metropolitan Learning Center
Ansonia High School
Putnam High School
Biotechnology Research & Zoological Sciences at the Fairchild Wheeler Campus
Connecticut River Academy
Classical Magnet School
Windsor Locks High School
Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
Terryville High School
Killingly High School
Academy of Science and Innovation
Francis T. Maloney High School
Orville H. Platt High School
Naugatuck High School
Torrington High School

C+
High School in the Community
Capital Community College Magnet Academy
W.F. Kaynor Technical High School
Hill Regional Career High School
Public Safety Academy
Henry Abbott Technical High School
West Haven High School
Windham Technical High School
New Haven Academy
Derby High School
Arts at the Capitol Theater Magnet School
East Haven High School
Norwich Technical High School
New London High School
H.H. Ellis Technical High School
Plainfield High School
Tourtellotte Memorial High School
R.J. Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts
The Bridge Academy
Bloomfield High School
Windham High School
HPHS Academy of Engineering & Green Technology
J.M. Wright Technical High School
Hyde School of Health Science & Sports Medicine
New Britain High School
Stamford Academy

C
Howell Cheney Technical High School
E.C. Goodwin Technical High School
Central High School
H.C. Wilcox Technical High School
Global Experience Magnet School
Bridgeport Military Academy
Metropolitan Business Academy
Vinal Technical High School
John F. Kennedy High School
Capital Preparatory Harbor School
Culinary Arts Academy at Weaver High School
Bulkeley High School
Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School
Global Communications Academy
Bullard-Havens Technical High School
High School Inc
Oliver Wolcott Technical High School
Capital Preparatory Magnet School

C-
Platt Technical High School
HPHS Academy of Nursing and Health Sciences
James Hillhouse High School
Journalism and Media Academy Magnet School
Emmett O'Brien Technical High School
Hartford Public High School Law & Government Academy
Eli Whitney Technical High School
Crosby High School
A.I. Prince Technical High School
Wilby High School
Highville Charter School
Harding High School

D
Bassick High School

— By Brian McCready, Patch Staff