The 50 Best Public High Schools In NJ: New Ranking

NEW JERSEY —A number of Garden State schools are among the best public high schools in the country, according to a report released this week by Niche.

The 2025 Best Public High Schools in America ranking, released Monday, shows the best traditional public high schools in the nation, including magnet and charter schools.

Niche said its rankings, now in the 10th year, differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.

Out of 491 schools on the Niche list, here are New Jersey's top 50 public high schools:

1. Bergen County Academies
2. The Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering (Morris Co.)
3. Union County Magnet High School
4. High Technology High School (Monmouth Co.)
5. Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (Ocean Co.)
6. Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School (Jersey City)
7. Academy for Information Technology (Union Co.)
8. Biotechnology High School (Monmouth Co.)
9. Bergen County Technical High School
10. Academy for Allied Health Science (Union Co.)
11. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
12. Princeton High School
13. Millburn High School
14. Northern Highlands Regional High School (Allendale)
15. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
16. Tenafly High School
17. Union County Vocational-Technical High School
18. Academy of Allied Health & Science (Monmouth Co.)
19. Marine Academy of Science & Technology (Monmouth Co.)
20. Ridgewood High School
21. Livingston Senior High School
22. Summit Senior High School
23. Middlesex County Academy for Science and Engineering Technologies
24. High Tech High School (Hudson Co.)
25. Chatham High School
26. Northern Valley Regional High School - Demarest
27. Communications High School (Monmouth Co.)
28. Montgomery High School
29. Northern Valley Regional High School - Old Tappan
30. Moorestown High School
31. Haddonfield Memorial High School
32. Ridge High School (Bernards Twp.)
33. West Morris Mendham High School
34. Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School
35. Metuchen High School
36. South Brunswick High School
37. Diana C. Lobosco STEM Academy
38. Mountain Lakes High School
39. Westfield Senior High School
40. Bernards High School
41. Applied Technology High School (Bergen Co.)
42. J.P. Stevens High School (Edison)
43. Mahwah High School
44. Watchung Hills Regional High School
45. STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges
46. Holmdel High School
47. Somerset County Vocational & Technical School
48. Robbinsville High Schol
49. New Providence High School
50. Morris County School of Technology

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. As in previous years, the Best Schools rankings include categories for boarding schools and private schools, including religious schools, among many others.

Check out our report on Niche's top-ranked New Jersey school districts here.

Nationally, the top 10 ranked public schools in America are:

1. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, North Carolina (high school for grades 11-12)
2. The Davidson Academy, Reno, Nevada (school for grades 5-12)
3. Massachusetts Academy for Math & Science, Worcester, Massachusetts (magnet school for grades 11-12)
4. Rising Leaders Academy, Panama City, Florida (charter school for grades K-12)
5. Stuyvesant High School, New York City (high school for grades 9-12)
6. Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago (magnet school for grades 9-12)
7. Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, Oklahoma City (high school or grades 11-12)
8. South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics, Hartsville, South Dakota (high school for grades 11-12)
9. School for the Talented & Gifted, Dallas (magnet school for grades 9-12)
10. Pine View School, Osprey, Florida (magnet school for grades 2-12)