These Are The Best Middle Schools In Southeastern PA: U.S. News Ranking

PHILADELPHIA — Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia is the best public middle school in the five-county Philadelphia region, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public middle schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. The researchers ranked more than 23,000 middle schools in its 2026 report, which was released Tuesday.

The top 25 public middle schools in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties are:

1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia
2. Albert M. Greenfield School, Philadelphia (No. 3 in PA)
3. Girard Academic Music Program, Philadelphia (No. 4 in PA)
4. Penn Alexander School, Philadelphia (No. 5 in PA)
5. Radnor Middle School, Wayne (No. 6 in PA)
6. Tredyffrin Easttown Middle School, Berwyn (No. 9 in PA)
7. Valley Forge Middle School, Wayne (No. 11 in PA)
8. Spring-Ford Middle School 7th Grade Center, Royersford (No. 17 in PA)
9. William M. Meredith School, Philadelphia (No. 18 in PA)
10. General George A. McCall School, Philadelphia (No. 21 in PA)
11. Charles F. Patton Middle School, Kennett Square (No. 24 in PA)
12. Springton Lake Middle School, Media (No. 27 in PA)
13. Haverford Middle School, Havertown (No. 29 in PA)
14. E.T. Richardson Middle School, Springfield, Delaware County (No 30 in PA)
15. Wissahickon Middle School, Lower Gwynedd Township (No. 34 in PA)
16. Newtown Middle School, Newtown (No. 36 in PA)
17. New Hope-Solebury Middle School, New Hope (No. 37 in PA)
18. Joseph Greenberg School, Philadelphia (No. 38 in PA)
19. Paxon Hollow Middle School, Broomall (No. 45 in PA)
20. Colonial Middle School, Plymouth Meeting (No. 47 in PA)
21. George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, Philadelphia (No. 48 in PA)
22. Sandy Run Middle School, Dresher (No. 52 in PA)
23. Strath Haven Middle School, Wallingford (No. 65 in PA)
24. Mathematics, Science, and Technology Community Charter School, Philadelphia (No. 66 in PA)
25. Great Valley Middle School, Malvern (No. 73 in PA)

The ranking methodology considered student proficiency in math and reading/language arts state assessments, adjusting for student backgrounds and core subject achievements. In cases of ties, student-teacher ratios were used as a deciding factor.

The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give parents a snapshot of how well schools provide a high-quality education and prepare students for a successful future, LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News, said in a news release.