4 Philly High Schools Among PA's Top 50 In New Ranking

PHILADELPHIA — Four Philadelphia high schools are among the top five public high schools in Pennsylvania, according to Niche's just released 2026 Best Public High Schools in America

Philadelphia's schools to make the list are Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Central High School, Science Leadership Academy, and Academy at Palumbo.

The evaluation metrics for the Niche list take 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.

Masterman was ranked the best high school in the state, with an "A+" overall grade from Niche.

Central High School broke the top 10, coming in at No. 6 and with an "A+" overall grade.

Science Leadership Academy was No. 26 with an "A" grade, and Palumbo, with an "A" grade, was No. 49.

More traditional rankings like U.S. News, which often don't vary much if at all from year to year, go based strictly off of qualitative measurements like standardized test scores.

See the full top 50 from Niche here.