The Top 25 High Schools In PA For 2025-26: U.S. News & World Report

PENNSYLVANIA — U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings on the best high schools in the country, and dozens in Pennsylvania made the list.

The 2025-2026 Best High School Rankings, released Tuesday, includes specialized STEM and charter rankings alongside the traditional state, district and metro area categories.

Nearly 24,000 public high schools were evaluated, and nearly 18,000 were ranked.

The top 25 public high schools in Pennsylvania are:

1. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School, 1699 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia (School District Of Philadelphia)
2. Downingtown STEM Academy, 335 Manor Ave., Downingtown (Downingtown Area School District)
3. Central High School, 1700 W. Olney Ave., Philadelphia (School District of Philadelphia)
4. New Hope-Solebury High School, 182 W Bridge St., New Hope (New Hope-Solebury School District)
5. Unionville High School, 750 Unionville Road, Kennett Square (Unionville-Chadds Ford School District)
6. Radnor High School, 130 King Of Prussia Road, Radnor (Radnor Township School District)
7. Mt Lebanon High School, 155 Cochran Road, Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon School District)
8. Pine-Richland High School, 700 Warrendale Road, Gibsonia (Pine-Richland School District)
9. Peters Township High School, 121 Rolling Hills Drive, Mcmurray (Peters Township School District)
10. Conestoga High School, 200 Irish Road, Berwyn (Tredyffrin/Easttown School District)
11. Lower Merion High School, 315 E. Montgomery Ave., Ardmore (Lower Merion School District)
12. Harriton High School, 600 N. Ithan Ave., Bryn Mawr (Lower Merion School District)
13. Strath Haven High School, 205 S. Providence Road, Wallingford (Wallingford-Swarthmore School District)
14. Central Bucks High School-East, 2804 Holicong Road, Doylestown (Central Bucks School District)
15. Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, 111 Ninth St., Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Public School District)
16. South Fayette Township High School, 3640 Old Oakdale Road, McDonald (South Fayette School District)
17. Upper Saint Clair High School, 1825 McLaughlin Run Road, Pittsburgh (Upper St. Clair School District)
18. Hershey High School, 550 Homestead Road, Hershey (Derry Township School District)
19. Academy at Palumbo, 1100 Catharine St., Philadelphia (School District of Philadelphia)
20. Fox Chapel Area High School, 611 Field Club Road, Pittsburgh (Fox Chapel Area School District)
21. Wissahickon High School, 521 Houston Road, Ambler (Wissahickon School District)
22. Council Rock High School North, 62 Swamp Road, Newtown (Council Rock School District)
23. Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School, 2040 Avenue C, Bethlehem
24. Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, 4P2J+JC, 201 E Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting (Colonial School District)
25. Danville Area High School, 600 Walnut St., Danville (Danville Area School District)

The 2025-2026 Best High Schools national rankings identify top public schools based on six key performance indicators, including student achievement on state-required assessments, strong graduation rates, and college readiness measures.

Schools are evaluated on how effectively they serve all students, including underserved populations, with college readiness specifically measured through student participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

The rankings consider curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes as well. U.S. News worked with RTI International, a global research firm, to implement the comprehensive ranking methodology, using the most current data from the 2022-2023 school year.

National Ranking - Top 10

1. BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
2. Signature School (Indiana)
3. Central Magnet School (Tennessee)
4. Davidson Academy (Nevada)
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virgina)
6. Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (New Mexico)
7. Hass Hall Bentonville (Arkansas)
8. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School (Pennsylvania)
9. The School for the Talented and Gifted (Texas)
10. Aiken Scholars Academy (South Carolina)