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

Twenty-five public high schools in Rhode Island earned the highest spots in the state in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 Best High Schools.

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

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

1. Classical High School, Providence, No. 133 nationally
2. Barrington High School, Barrington, No. 159 nationally
3. East Greenwich High School, East Greenwich, No. 551 nationally
4. Portsmouth High School, Portsmouth, No. 816 nationally
5. North Kingstown Sr. High School, North Kingstown, No. 1,107 nationally
6. Blackstone Valley Prep High School, Cumberland, No, 1,255 nationally
7. The Greene School, West Greenwich, No. 1,586 nationally
8. South Kingstown High School, Wakefield, No. 1,832 nationally
9. Mt. Hope School, Bristol, No. 1,863 nationally
10. Chariho High School, Wood River Junction, No. 2.036 nationally
11. Narragansett High School, Narragansett, No. 2,193 nationally
12. Tiverton High School, Tiverton, No. 2,410 nationally
13. Lincoln Senior High School, Lincoln, No. 2,564 nationally
14. Middletown High School, Middletown, No. 2,996 nationally
15. Ponaganset High School, North Scituate, No. 3,009 nationally
16. North Smithfield High School, North Smithfield, No. 3,196 nationally
17. Davies Career-Tech High School, Lincoln, No. 3,251 nationally
18. Cumberland High School, Cumberland, No. 3,309 nationally
19. Westerly High School, Westerly, No. 3,508 nationally
20. Exeter-West Greenwich Regional, West Greenwich, No. 3,617 nationally
21. Cranston High School West, Cranston, No. 4,379 nationally
22. Jacqueline M. Walsh School, Pawtucket, No. 4,701 nationally
23. Scituate High School, North Scituate, No. 4,710 nationally
24. Smithfield High School, Smithfield, No. 4,901 nationally
25. Paul Cuffee Upper School, Providence, No. 5,199 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% nationally, at 47%, followed by New Jersey at 44% and Maryland at 43%.

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%.

See also:

• New RI Law Limits Fees On School Meals
• New Rhode Island Law Requires Action Plan For Students With Seizure Disorders
• New Data Shows How RI Reading, Math Scores Compare Nationally
• Rhode Island Honors Civic Education Teachers of the Year
• Rhode Island Foundation Recommends Changes To State's School Funding System