These Are The Top Elementary Schools In PA, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

Pleasant Valley Elementary School, some 20 miles south of Pittsburgh, is the best public elementary school in Pennsylvania, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Elementary schools are considered either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 in the analysis. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered.

The top 25 public elementary schools in Pennsylvania are:

1. Pleasant Valley Elementary School, McMurray (Peters Township School District)
2. Fairview Elementary School, Pittsburgh (Fox Chapel Are School District)
3. Bradford Woods Elementary School, Bradford Woods (North Allegheny School District)
4. Ithan Elementary School, Bryn Mawr (Radnor Township School District)
5. Gladwyne School, Gladwyne (Lower Merion School District)
6. Bower Hill Elementary School, Venetia (Peters Township School District)
7. Baker Elementary School, Pittsburgh (Upper St. Clair School District)
8. Merion Elementary School, Merion Station (Lower Merion School District)
9. William Penn Elementary School, Bethel Park (Bethel Park School District)
10. Stony Creek Elementary School, Blue Bell (Wissahickon School District)
11. O'Hara Elementary School, Pittsburgh (Fox Chapel Area School District)
12. McCormick Elementary School, Moon Township (Moon Area School District)
13. Franklin Elementary School, Sewickley (North Allegheny School District)
14. Poff Elementary School, Gibsonia (Hampton Township)
15. Wexford Elementary School, Wexford (Pine-Richland School District)
16. Hartwood Elementary School, Pittsburgh (Fox Chapel Area School District)
17. Hillside Elementary School, Berwyn (Tredyffrin-Easttown School District)
18. Wyland Elementary School, Allison Park (Hampton Township School District)
19. Donaldson Elementary School, Oakdale (West Allegheny School District)
20. Sunset Valley Elementary School, North Huntingdon (Norwin School District)
21. Wylandville Elementary School, Eighty Four (Canon-McMillan School District)
22. Markham Elementary School, Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon School District)
23. Rose Tree Elementary School, Media (Rose Tree Media School District)
24. Sabold Elementary School, Springfield (Springfield School District)
25. Sunrise Elementary School, Irwin (Penn-Trafford School District)

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for recognition.

“The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all,” U.S. News said of the report.

The rankings methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.