These VA High Schools Are Among 2022’s Best: U.S. News

VIRGINIA — Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County was ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to a new national ranking by U.S. News and World Report. This year’s list of best high schools evaluated more than 17,800 schools nationwide, including 322 in Virginia.

The 2022 ranking of best high schools is intended to show how well the nation’s public schools serve all students, regardless of achievement level, by teaching them basic skills and preparing them for college-level work, according to a news release from U.S. News.

Families can also use the rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state and local levels on factors such as graduation rates and college readiness.

While thousands of schools were evaluated, these Virginia schools were ranked among the top 1,000, according to U.S. News:

• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, No. 1
• Langley High School, McLean, No. 136
• McLean High School, McLean, No. 157
• Open High School, Richmond, No. 177
• Marshall High School, Falls Church, No. 247
• Oakton High School, Oakton, No. 282
• W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, No. 337
• Madison High School, Vienna, No. 361
• Richmond Community High School, Richmond, No. 364
• West Springfield High School, Springfield, No. 434
• Chantilly High School, Chantilly, No. 465
• Deep Run High School, Glen Allen, No. 488
• George Mason High School (Meridian High School), Falls Church, No. 574
• Yorktown High School, Arlington, No. 585
• Robinson Secondary School, Burke, No. 618
• Briar Woods High School, Ashburn, No. 721
• Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, No. 796
• Blacksburg High School, Blacksburg, No. 824
• Riverside High School, Leesburg, No. 853
• Grassfield High School, Chesapeake, No. 897
• Osbourn Park High School, Manassas, No. 908
• Washington-Liberty High School, Arlington, No. 950
• Battlefield High School, Haymarket, No. 957
• Cosby High School, Midlothian, No. 982
• Centreville High School, Centreville, No. 983

This year, the top 15 schools nationally are in 14 different states.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, a magnet school, was once again ranked No. 1 in the nation. Langley and McLean High Schools were the next highest ranked high schools in Virginia, ranking No. 136 and No. 157, respectively. All three schools are part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system.

Meridian High School in the City of Falls Church was the 13th ranked high school in Virginia and 574th ranked high school in the nation. Yorktown High School was the highest ranked high school in Arlington County and the 585th ranked high school in the nation.

Briar Woods High School in Ashburn was the highest ranked school in Loudoun County and the 721st ranked school in the nation. Osbourn Park High School was the highest ranked school in Prince William County and the 908th ranked high school in the nation.

Here are the top 10 schools in this year’s national Best High Schools ranking:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - Alexandria, Virginia
2. Academic Magnet High School - North Charleston, South Carolina
3. Signature School - Evansville, Indiana
4. School for Advanced Studies - Miami, Florida
5. Payton College Preparatory High School - Chicago, Illinois
6. The Davidson Academy of Nevada - Reno, Nevada
7. Central Magnet School - Murfreesboro, Tennessee
8. The School for the Talented and Gifted - Dallas, Texas
9. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology - Lawrenceville, Georgia
10. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This year’s schools were ranked on six measures: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment performance, state assessment proficiency, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance and graduation rates.

The data used in this year’s ranking is from the 2019-20 academic school year. U.S. News adjusted its calculation of these measures to account for the impact COVID-19 had on schools in the 2019-20 school year.

Since most states closed schools for in-person instruction starting in March 2020 — typically just before most states conduct assessments — the U.S. Department of Education granted waivers allowing all states to forgo state testing for the 2019-20 school year.

To account for this, U.S. News relied on past assessment data from the
three prior ranking years. Researchers also incorporated state science assessment data from the 2018-19 school year.

Read more about the Best High Schools methodology.

In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News also published rankings at the state, metro area and school district levels. Only metro areas and school districts with three or more high schools were included in these subrankings.

Signature School in Indiana is at the top of the list for charter schools, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia is the No. 1 magnet school. The Davidson Academy of Nevada is the top STEM school.