Rady Children's Hospital Ranked Among Top 10 In Nation

SAN DIEGO, CA — For the third year in a row, Rady Children's Hospital San Diego was named one of the top 10 children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Rady Children's Hospital was named to the 2025-2026 Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll, a distinction awarded to only 10 children's hospitals in the U.S. The award-winning hospital also tied for the No. 1 pediatric hospital in California and the Pacific Region.

Rady Children's Hospital had four specialties rank among the top 10 in the nation: Cardiology and Heart Surgery at No. 6, Orthopedics at No. 7, Neonatology at No. 8, and Diabetes and Endocrinology at No. 10. The hospital also maintained its nine-year streak of achieving rankings in all specialties surveyed.

Rady Children's Hospital merged with Children's Hospital of Orange County in January 2025 to create Rady Children's Health. The hospitals were evaluated separately for this year's rankings.

With three hospitals, a growing network of primary and specialty care centers across six counties, and two of the region's Level 1 pediatric trauma centers, Rady Children's Health is the largest largest pediatric healthcare system on the West Coast.

"I'm incredibly proud that the dedication and excellence our team brings to caring for children and families has been honored once again with Honor Roll recognition by U.S. News & World Report," said Patrick Frias, co-president and CEO of Rady Children's Health. "As we move forward as Rady Children's Health, this recognition reinforces what parents and caregivers already know, that they have access to exceptional, world-class pediatric care right here in our community."

U.S. News and RTI International, a research and consulting firm, collected and analyzed data from 118 children's hospitals and surveyed thousands of pediatric specialists.

The 2025-2026 Best Children's Hospitals report includes both national and state and regional rankings. They are intended as a guide to assist parents and caregivers, along with their physicians, as they navigate the challenges of finding the best possible care for children with serious illnesses or complex medical needs.

For the second year, it includes an evaluation of the Best Children's Hospitals for Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health, in which U.S. News evaluated hospitals for their care of children and teens in mental and behavioral health conditions such as autism, anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, language and learning disorders, and substance abuse and addiction.

Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, pointed out data that shows 1 in 5 U.S. children has a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder, and nearly 1 in 3 youth ages 12 to 17 are navigating a mental or behavioral health condition.

"U.S. News' continued evaluation of the top hospitals for pediatric and adolescent behavioral health empowers families with the information they need to make the most informed decisions for their child’s well-being and health," Harder said.

In California, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego tied for the No. 1 pediatric hospital.

Six Golden State hospitals were ranked among the top 50 nationally for behavioral health services in the 2025-2026 Best Children's Hospitals rankings.

Here's how California hospitals performed. Their state rankings are in parenthesis.

• Children's Hospital Los Angeles (No. 1, top 50 for behavioral health services)
• Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego (No. 1, top 50 for behavioral health services)
• Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Palo Alto (No. 3, top 50 for behavioral health services)
• UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, San Francisco and Oakland (No. 3, top 50 for behavioral health services)
• UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles (No. 5, top 50 for behavioral health services)
• CHOC Children's Hospital, Orange (No. 6, top 50 for behavioral health services)
• UC Davis Children's Hospital, Sacramento (No. 7)
• Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, Loma Linda (No. 8)
• Valley Children's Healthcare and Hospital, Madera (No. 9)

The top five hospitals by selected specialties are:

Pediatric Cancer
1. Cincinnati Children's
2. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3. Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
4. Children's Hospital Colorado (Aurora)
5. Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, Ohio)

Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery
1. Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)
2. Children's Hospital Colorado (Aurora)
3. Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center (Durham, North Carolina)
4. MUSC Children's Heart Network of South Carolina (Charleston, South Carolina)
5. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Neonatology
1. Boston Children's Hospital
2. Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)
3. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto, California)
4. Cincinnati Children's
5. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery
1. Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)
2. Boston Children's Hospital
3. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
4. Children's National Hospital (Washington, D.C.)
5. Cincinnati Children's

Pediatric Orthopedics
1. Children’s Medical Center Dallas-Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center
2. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3. Cincinnati Children's
4. Children's Hospital Los Angeles
5. (tie) Boston Children's Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

2025-202 Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll
(Hospitals garnering rankings in multiple specialties, listed alphabetically)

Boston Children's Hospital
Children's Hospital Colorado (Aurora)
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Children's National Hospital (Washington, D.C.)
Cincinnati Children's
Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, Ohio)
Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego)
Seattle Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)