These Are The Top 25 Public High Schools In PA, New Rankings Say

PENNSYLVANIA — Several Pennsylvania schools are among the best public schools in America, according to new rankings from the education platform Niche.

Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts rankings include data on 94,058 public schools, 30,809 private schools and 12,192 school districts.

This year’s rankings include 7,375 newly-ranked public schools. The company said its 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.

Here are Niche's 25 top-ranked public high schools in Pennsylvania. All have overall Niche grades of A+.

1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia
2. Conestoga Senior High School, Berwyn
3. Radnor Senior High School, Radnor
4. Downington STEM Academy, Downington
5. North Allegheny High School, McCandless
6. Harriton Senior High School, Rosemont
7. Lower Merion High School, Ardmore
8. Central High School, Philadelphia
9. Mount Lebanon Senior High School, Pittsburgh
10. Fox Chapel Area High School, Pittsburgh
11. Central Bucks High School - East, Doylestown
12. Upper St. Clair High School, Pittsburgh
13. Unionville High School, Kennett Square
14. Hershey High School, Hershey
15. State College Area High School, State College
16. Great Valley High School, Malvern
17. Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills
18. Strath Haven High School, Wallingford
19. Wissahickon Senior High School, Ambler
20. Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, Erie
21. Plymouth-Whitemarsh Senior High School, Plymouth Meeting
22. Central Bucks High School - West, Doylestown
23. Central Bucks High School - South, Warrington
24. Spring-Ford Senior High School, Royersford
25. South Fayette Township High School, McDonald

The Niche.com rankings, which have come out for the past nine years, compare K-12 schools and districts across the United States. The website combines input from current students, alumni and parents with hard data from sources including the U.S. Department of Education.

These 2024 rankings include updated data for 94,058 public schools, 30,809 private schools, and 12,192 school districts around the country. School and district ranks include public and private schools as well as boarding, charter and magnet schools, and schools for STEM and the arts.

A major change this year is that SAT and ACT-related factors have been removed from the K-12 rankings, said Niche.

“The education industry has seen significant changes in 2023, and the future still holds a lot of uncertainty,” the company said. “But one thing that remains consistent is the decreased emphasis on standardized testing. At first, the rise of test-optional college admissions was primarily in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but more than three years later, colleges are continuing the trend.”

Niche said the 2024 Best Schools rankings also include some other newcomers as well as the 7,375 newly-ranked public schools: 1,433 newly-ranked private schools, and 364 newly-ranked school districts.

“Deciding where to send their children to school is one of the most important decisions parents will have to make,” said Luke Skurman, Founder and CEO of Niche. “Primary and secondary education can set a trajectory for a person’s life that influences their future career path, their earning potential, and the impact they will make on the world. Our 2024 K-12 rankings are one tool we hope will help make families feel confident in their choices for laying the foundation for their children’s futures.”

Check back with Patch this week for coverage on Pennsylvania’s best school districts and best private schools.