Here's How Princeton High School Ranks Among NJ's Best In New Report

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton High School ranked 37th in New Jersey and No. 616 nationally in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 Best High Schools rankings, released Tuesday. The school also ranked third among high schools in the Trenton, NJ metro area.

The district rebounded after falling to No. 55 in last year's rankings.

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PHS remains behind several other central New Jersey schools in this year's rankings, including Montgomery High School, ranked No. 21 in the state; West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, ranked No. 22; and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, ranked No. 24, which have consistently ranked among the region's top schools in recent years.

The rankings evaluated Princeton High School against 17,945 nationally ranked schools and 415 ranked schools in New Jersey. The school ranked No. 23 in the state for College Readiness Index and No. 17 for College Curriculum Breadth Index. It ranked No. 65 in the state for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 97 for State Assessment Performance.

Princeton High School's College Readiness Index score is 72.1 out of 100. The school's graduation rate is 95 percent, around the state median.

The AP participation rate at Princeton High School is 76 percent, according to U.S. News. The school's 12th grade enrollment is 391 students, and 14 percent of students are economically disadvantaged., according to the ranking.

Princeton High School is the only high school in Princeton Public Schools and has 128 full-time equivalent teachers, the report noted.

The rankings are based on six performance measures, including student achievement on state-required assessments, graduation rates and college readiness. U.S. News also considers how well schools serve underserved students, participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes. The rankings use data from the 2023-2024 school year and were produced with research firm RTI International.

Here are the top 25 high schools in NJ, along with their national rankings:

1. High Technology High School, Lincroft — No. 28 nationally
2. Edison Academy Magnet School, Edison — No. 40 nationally
3. Union County Magnet High School, Scotch Plains — No. 59 nationally
4. Biotechnology High School, Freehold — No. 72 nationally
5. Woodbridge Academy Magnet School, Woodbridge — No. 75 nationally
6. Bergen County Academies, Hackensack — No. 78 nationally
7. Academy for Information Technology, Scotch Plains — No. 83 nationally
8. Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro, Teterboro — No. 84 nationally
9. Dr. Ronald E McNair High School, Jersey City — No. 114 nationally
10. Academy for Allied Health Sciences, Scotch Plains — No. 126 nationally
11. Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Highlands — No. 156 nationally
12. PCTI STEM Academy, Wayne — No. 250 nationally
13. Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School, Somerset — No. 261 nationally
14. Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge — No. 290 nationally
15. Millburn High School, Millburn — No. 294 nationally
16. Science Park High School, Newark — No. 312 nationally
17. High Tech High School, Secaucus — No. 334 nationally
18. Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest, Demarest — No. 346 nationally
19. Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health and Science, Neptune — No. 348 nationally
20. Elizabeth High School, Elizabeth — No. 354 nationally
21. Montgomery High School, Skillman — No. 356 nationally
22. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor — No. 383 nationally
23. Tenafly High School, Tenafly — No. 389 nationally
24. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, Plainsboro — No. 393 nationally
25. Livingston High School, Livingston — No. 411 nationally

The full rankings are available at U.S. News & World Report

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