This Ocean County School Is One Of NJ's Best: New Ranking

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — Students looking for a great education may want to consider this Ocean County school, as new rankings by Niche place it not only among the best in the state but in the nation as well.

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.

The Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES), based in Manahawkin, was ranked as number five out of 430 in New Jersey. The Ocean County Vocational Technical School also came in at number 49 in Niche's rankings of the Best Public High Schools in America - out of 20,733 schools.

The specialized and competitive school is geared towards students focusing on STEM. Niche gave MATES an "A+" ranking overall.

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.

This article contains additional reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.