The Top 25 High Schools In GA For 2025-26: U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings on the best high schools in the country, and dozens in Georgia made the list.

The 2025-2026 Best High School Rankings, released Tuesday, includes specialized STEM and charter rankings alongside the traditional state, district and metro area categories.

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Nearly 24,000 public high schools were evaluated, and nearly 18,000 were ranked.

The top 25 public high schools in Georgia are:

1. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Lawrenceville (Gwinnett County School District)
2. Columbus High School, Columbus (Muscogee County Public Schools)
3. Alliance Academy for Innovation, Cumming (Forsyth County Public Schools)
4. Davidson Magnet School, Augusta (Richmond County Public Schools)
5. Elite Scholars Academy School, Jonesboro (Clayton County Public Schools)
6. Walton High School, Marietta (Cobb County School District)
7. Northview High School, Duluth (Fulton County Schools)
8. Academy for Classical Education, Macon (State Charter Schools Ii- Academy For Classical Education)
9. Lambert High School, Suwanee (Forsyth County Public Schools)
10. DeKalb School of the Arts, Avondale Estates (DeKalb County School District)
11. South Forsyth High School, Cumming (Forsyth County Public Schools)
12. Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah (Savannah-Chatham County Schools)
13. Lassiter High School, Marietta (Cobb County School District)
14. North Oconee High School, Bogart (Oconee County Public Schools)
15. Chattahoochee High School, Alpharetta (Fulton County Schools)
16. North Gwinnett High School, Suwanee (Gwinnett County School District)
17. Atlanta Classical Academy, Atlanta (Atlanta Public Schools)
18. Johnson Magnet, Augusta (Richmond County Public Schools)
19. Johns Creek High School, Johns Creek (Fulton County Schools)
20. Alpharetta High School, Alpharetta (Fulton County Schools)
21. Paul Duke Stem High School, Norcross (Gwinnett County School District)
22. Rainey Mccullers School of the Arts, Columbus (Muscogee County Public Schools)
23. McIntosh High School, Peachtree City (Fayette County Public Schools)
24. Martha Ellen Stilwell School for the Performing Arts, Jonesboro (Clayton County Public Schools)
25. Starrs Mill High School, Fayetteville (Fayette County Public Schools)

The 2025-2026 Best High Schools national rankings identify top public schools based on six key performance indicators, including student achievement on state-required assessments, strong graduation rates, and college readiness measures.

Schools are evaluated on how effectively they serve all students, including underserved populations, with college readiness specifically measured through student participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

The rankings consider curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes as well. U.S. News worked with RTI International, a global research firm, to implement the comprehensive ranking methodology, using the most current data from the 2022-2023 school year.

National Ranking - Top 10

1. BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
2. Signature School (Indiana)
3. Central Magnet School (Tennessee)
4. Davidson Academy (Nevada)
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virgina)
6. Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (New Mexico)
7. Hass Hall Bentonville (Arkansas)
8. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School (Pennsylvania)
9. The School for the Talented and Gifted (Texas)
10. Aiken Scholars Academy (South Carolina)