Washington's Best High Schools: New Rankings Released

WASHINGTON — Several schools in the Evergreen State are among America’s best, according to rankings released Tuesday by the education platform Niche.

The new 2023 Best Schools and Districts rankings provide insight for parents on 92,743 public schools, 30,112 private schools and 11,820 school districts nationwide.

This year's state-level public school rankings heavily favor the Eastside, where the Lake Washington and Bellevue school districts claimed the top five spots.

Seattle's Lakeside School, where the notable alumni include Bill Gates and Paul Allen, again landed at the top among Washington's private schools and ranked as the nation's 20th-best private high school for college prep.

Here are the top 25 public high schools in Washington, according to Niche:

1. Tesla STEM High School (Lake Washington School District)
2. International Community School (Lake Washington School District)
3. Interlake High School (Bellevue School District)
4. International School (Bellevue School District)
5. Newport Senior High School (Bellevue School District)
6. Bellevue High School (Bellevue School District)
7. Raisbeck Aviation High School (Highline School District)
8. North Creek High School (Northshore School District)
9. Redmond High School (Lake Washington School District)
10. Mercer Island High School (Mercer Island School District)
11. Eastlake High School (Lake Washington School District)
12. Issaquah High School (Issaquah School District)
13. Skyline High School (Issaquah School District)
14. Woodinville High School (Northshore School District)
15. Garfield High School (Seattle Public Schools)
16. Bainbridge High School (Bainbridge Island School District)
17. Roosevelt High School (Seattle Public Schools)
18. Liberty Senior High School (Issaquah School District)
19. Sammamish Senior High School (Bellevue School District)
20. Ingraham High School (Seattle Public Schools)
21. Kamiak High School (Mukilteo School District)
22. Lake Washington High School (Lake Washington School District)
23. Inglemoor High School (Northshore School District)
24. Sehome High School (Bellingham School District)
25. Olympia High School (Olympia School District)

Here are the top 25 private high schools in Washington, according to Niche:

1. Lakeside School (Seattle)
2. The Overlake School (Redmond)
3. Eastside Preparatory School (Kirkland)
4. University Prep (Seattle)
5. Seattle Academy (Seattle)
6. Annie Wright Schools (Tacoma)
7. The Bush School (Seattle)
8. Charles Wright Academy (Tacoma)
9. The Northwest School (Seattle)
10. Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (Bellevue)
11. The Bear Creek School (Redmond)
12. Seattle Preparatory School (Seattle)
13. Northwest Yeshiva High School (Mercer Island)
14. Holy Names Academy (Seattle)
15. Eastside Catholic School (Sammamish)
16. Saint George's School (Spokane)
17. Bishop Blanchet High School (Seattle)
18. Bellarmine Preparatory School (Tacoma)
19. West Sound Academy (Poulsbo)
20. Spring Street International School (Friday Harbor)
21. Gonzaga Preparatory School (Spokane)
22. Bellevue Christian School (Clyde Hill)
23. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic High School (Vancouver)
24. Pope John Paul II High School (Lacey)
25. Seattle Waldorf School (Seattle)

You can view the full rankings here.

Niche said its rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes 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.

Niche named the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, North Carolina, the top public school. Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, is the best private school.

Niche said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.

As in previous years, the Best Schools rankings include categories for boarding, charter and magnet schools as well as schools for STEM and the arts among many others.

Check back with Patch this week for coverage of Washington’s best school districts.