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

U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings on the best high schools in the country, and dozens in Virginia 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.

Fairfax County Public Schools had 11 schools ranked in the top 25 on U.S. News & World Report's list, with Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria ranked fifth among all public high schools in the country.

The top 25 public high schools in Virginia are:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria (Fairfax County Public Schools)
2. Open High School, Richmond (Richmond City Public Schools)
3. Langley High School, McLean (Fairfax County Public Schools
4. Richmond Community High School, Richmond (Richmond City Public Schools)
5. Woodson High School, Fairfax (Fairfax County Public Schools)
6. Oakton High School, Oakton (Fairfax County Public Schools)
7. Meridian High School, Falls Church (Falls Church Public Schools)
8. McLean High School, McLean (Fairfax County Public Schools)
9. Marshall High School, Falls Church (Fairfax County Public Schools)
10. Madison High School, Vienna (Fairfax CountyPublic Schools)
11. Yorktown High School, Arlington (Arlington Public Schools)
12. West Springfield High School, Springfield (Fairfax County Public Schools)
13. Deep Run High School, Glen Allen (Henrico County Public Schools)
14. Green Run Collegiate, Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach Public Schools)
15. Chantilly High School, Chantilly (Fairfax County Public Schools)
16. Briar Woods High School, Ashburn (Loudoun County Public Schools)
17. Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn (Loudoun County Public Schools)
18. Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke (Fairfax County Public Schools)
19. Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax (Fairfax County Public Schools)
20. Blacksburg High School, Blacksburg (Montgonery County Public Schools)
21. Mills E. Godwin High, Richmond (Henrico County Public Schools)
22. Lightridge High, Aldie (Loudoun County Public Schools)
23. Tabb High School, Yorktown (York County Public Schools)
24. Washington-Liberty High School, Arlington (Arlington Public Schools)
25. Riverside High School, Leesburg (Loudoun County Public Schools)

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.

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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)