18 Pittsburgh High Schools Among Best In U.S.: Ranking

PITTSBURGH, PA — Several public high schools in the Pittsburgh area are among the best in the country, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

Among the 656 top-ranked Pennsylvania schools, 18 were located in the Pittsburgh area. One school — Upper Saint Clair High School in Pittsburgh — also made the national list of top STEM schools.

• RELATED: These Are The Top 25 High Schools In PA: U.S. News

The top high schools in the Pittsburgh area and where they ranked among Pennsylvania schools are:

1. Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, Pittsburgh School District: Ranked No. 8
2. Upper Saint Clair High School, Upper Saint Clair School District: Ranked No. 9
3. Fox Chapel Area High School, Fox Chapel Area School District: Ranked No. 17
4. Mt Lebanon High School, Mt Lebanon School District: Ranked No. 19
5. Pittsburgh Science And Technology Academy, Pittsburgh School District: Ranked No. 36
6. Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh School District: Ranked No. 70
7. Keystone Oaks High School, Keystone Oaks School District: Ranked No. 88
8. Avonworth High School, Avonworth School District: Ranked No. 147
9. North Hills High School, North Hills School District: Ranked No. 148
10. Obama Academy (Pittsburgh Obama 6-12), Pittsburgh School District: Ranked No. 159
11. Brentwood Senior High School, Brentwood Borough School District: Ranked No. 174
12. Shaler Area High School, Shaler Area School District: Ranked No. 246
13. Northgate Middle/High School, Northgate School District: Ranked No. 249
14. Baldwin Senior High School, Baldwin-Whitehall School District: Ranked No. 306
15. Woodland Hills Senior High School, Woodland Hills School District: Ranked No. 436
16. Penn Hills Senior High School, Penn Hills School District: Ranked No. 438
17. Pittsburgh Carrick High School, Pittsburgh School District: Ranked No. 470
18. Urban Pathways 6-12 Charter School: Ranked No. 471

Among the ranked Pennsylvania schools, one was in the U.S. Top 50 (Julia R. Masterman Secondary School, No. 33) and one was named to the rest of the U.S. Top 100 (Downingtown STEM Academy, No. 61).

The top five high schools in Pennsylvania are:

1. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School, Philadelphia
2. Downingtown STEM Academy, Downington
3. Wilkes-Barre Area Sd Stem Academy, Plains
4. Conestoga High School, Berwyn
5. Central High School, Philadelphia

State-by-state performance is based solely on which states have the largest proportion of schools in the top 25 percent. Massachusetts once again leads in the ranking, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida, respectively.

The top high schools have students who score exceptionally high on math, reading and science assessments, as well as strong performance among under-served students. High school graduation rates and college readiness among graduates are also measured.

U.S. News also ranked magnet, charter and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) schools.

See the top schools in Pennsylvania.