These Are The Best Public High Schools In PA For 2026-27: U.S. News

U.S. News & World Report has ranked best institutions in Pennsylvania in their 2026-2027 Best High Schools list.

U.S. News evaluated about 27,000 eligible public high schools nationwide and ranked nearly 18,000 of them.

Here are the top 50 ranked high schools in Pennsylvania, along with their national rankings:

1. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School — Philadelphia — #3 nationally
2. Downingtown STEM Academy — Downingtown — #19 nationally
3. Central High School — Philadelphia — #119 nationally
4. New Hope-Solebury High School — New Hope — #254 nationally
5. Wilkes-Barre Area Sd Stem Academy — Plains — #323 nationally
6. Harriton High School — Rosemont — #339 nationally
7. Radnor High School — Radnor — #341 nationally
8. Lower Merion High School — Ardmore — #380 nationally
9. Peters Township High School — McMurray — #382 nationally
10. Unionville High School — Kennett Square — #403 nationally
11. Academy at Palumbo — Philadelphia — #413 nationally
12. Upper Saint Clair High School — Pittsburgh — #426 nationally
13. Conestoga High School — Berwyn — #479 nationally
14. Fox Chapel Area High School — Pittsburgh — #508 nationally
15. Mt Lebanon High School — Pittsburgh — #517 nationally
16. Pine-Richland High School — Gibsonia — #554 nationally
17. Strath Haven High School — Wallingford — #578 nationally
18. Hampton High School — Allison Park — #606 nationally
19. Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12 — Pittsburgh — #631 nationally
20. South Fayette Township High School — McDonald — #649 nationally
21. Hs Of Engineering & Science — Philadelphia — #670 nationally
22. Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School — Plymouth Meeting — #686 nationally
23. Great Valley High School — Malvern — #724 nationally
24. Central Bucks High School-East — Doylestown — #725 nationally
25. York Academy Regional Charter School — York — #732 nationally
26. Quaker Valley High School — Leetsdale — #737 nationally
27. Neshannock Junior/Senior High School — New Castle — #772 nationally
28. Hershey High School — Hershey — #773 nationally
29. Wissahickon High School — Ambler — #831 nationally
30. Council Rock High School North — Newtown — #841 nationally
31. Springfield High School — Springfield — #845 nationally
32. Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy — Erie — #910 nationally
33. Haverford High School — Havertown — #926 nationally
34. Garnet Valley High School — Glen Mills — #941 nationally
35. North Allegheny High School — Wexford — #966 nationally
36. State College Area High School — State College — #1,062 nationally
37. Lewisburg High School — Lewisburg — #1,119 nationally
38. Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School — Bethlehem — #1,143 nationally
39. Spring-Ford Senior High School — Royersford — #1,147 nationally
40. Thomas Jefferson High School — Jefferson Hills — #1,148 nationally
41. Pittsburgh Science And Technology Academy — Pittsburgh — #1,159 nationally
42. Shenango High School — New Castle — #1,162 nationally
43. Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush — Philadelphia — #1,212 nationally
44. Central Bucks High School-West — Doylestown — #1,233 nationally
45. Perkiomen Valley High School — Collegeville — #1,258 nationally
46. Penncrest High School — Media — #1,266 nationally
47. Penn Trafford High School — Harrison City — #1,299 nationally
48. Renaissance Academy Charter School — Phoenixville — #1,317 nationally
49. Jenkintown Middle/High School — Jenkintown — #1,335 nationally
50. Delaware Valley High School — Milford — #1,349 nationally

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.

Massachusetts had the largest share of high schools ranked in the top 25 percent nationally, at 47 percent, followed by New Jersey at 44 percent, and Maryland at 43 percent.

Among metropolitan areas with a significant number of ranked schools, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, had the largest share in the national top quarter, at 60 percent. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, followed at 59 percent, and Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wisconsin, at 56 percent.

Central Magnet School in Tennessee topped the national ranking, followed by Signature School in Indiana and Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Pennsylvania.

Signature School also ranked first among charter schools. High Technology High School in New Jersey ranked first among STEM high schools.

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