The Top 30 High Schools In WI For 2025-26: U.S. News & World Report

WHITEFISH BAY, WI — U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings on the best high schools in the country, and dozens in Wisconsin 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.

Here are the top 30 public high schools in Wisconsin:

1. Whitefish Bay High School (Whitefish Bay)
- National Rank: #157
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 73.3
- Enrollment: 906

2. Little Chute Career Pathways Academy (Little Chute)
- National Rank: #229
- Graduation rate: 100%
- College readiness: 56.6
- Enrollment: 92

3. Eisenhower Middle/High School (New Berlin)
- National Rank: #231
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 65.4
- Enrollment: 720

4. Cedarburg High School (Cedarburg)
- National Rank: #329
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 61.7
- Enrollment: 1,085

5. Homestead High School (Mequon)
- National Rank: #382
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 61.9
- Enrollment: 1,225

6. High School of Health Sciences (Wales)
- National Rank: #408
- Graduation rate: 100%
- College readiness: 34.6
- Enrollment: 192

7. Brookfield East High School (Brookfield)
- National Rank: #438
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 60.4
- Enrollment: 1,398

8. Brookfield Central High (Brookfield)
- National Rank: #570
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 53.7
- Enrollment: 1,172

9. Shorewood High School (Shorewood)
- National Rank: #629
- Graduation rate: 99%
- College readiness: 50.2
- Enrollment: 619

10. Arrowhead High School (Hartland)
- National Rank: #647
- Graduation rate: 99%
- College readiness: 53.9
- Enrollment: 2,038

11. Lakeview Technology Academy (Pleasant Prairie)
- National Rank: #669
- Graduation rate: 100%
- College readiness: 49.1
- Enrollment: 391

12. Reagan College Preparatory High School (Milwaukee)
- National Rank: #675
- Graduation rate: 99%
- College readiness: 49.4
- Enrollment: 1,349

13. Gibraltar High School (Fish Creek)
- National Rank: #680
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 41.5
- Enrollment: 165

14. Middleton High School (Middleton)
- National Rank: #822
- Graduation rate: 99%
- College readiness: 49.9
- Enrollment: 2,237

15. Grafton High School (Grafton)
- National Rank: #893
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 50.6
- Enrollment: 720

16. Hamilton High School (Sussex)
- National Rank: #918
- Graduation rate: 96%
- College readiness: 49.1
- Enrollment: 1,564

17. Franklin High School (Franklin)
- National Rank: #936
- Graduation rate: 97%
- College readiness: 50.7
- Enrollment: 1,606

18. Kohler High School (Kohler)
- National Rank: #955
- Graduation rate: 100%
- College readiness: 39.8
- Enrollment: 232

19. New Berlin Middle/High School (New Berlin)
- National Rank: #967
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 56.6
- Enrollment: 687

20. Rock University High School (Janesville)
- National Rank: #1,002
- Graduation rate: 100%
- College readiness: 60.9
- Enrollment: 98

21. Waukesha West High School (Waukesha)
- National Rank: #1,035
- Graduation rate: 97%
- College readiness: 47.8
- Enrollment: 1,192

22. Memorial High School (Eau Claire)
- National Rank: #1,037
- Graduation rate: 96%
- College readiness: 46.3
- Enrollment: 1,558

23. Wauwatosa East High (Wauwatosa)
- National Rank: #1,060
- Graduation rate: 94%
- College readiness: 44.9
- Enrollment: 1,041

24. New Glarus High School (New Glarus)
- National Rank: #1,079
- Graduation rate: 99%
- College readiness: 41.0
- Enrollment: 320

25. Muskego High School (Muskego)
- National Rank: #1,086
- Graduation rate: 96%
- College readiness: 45.5
- Enrollment: 1,651

26. Golda Meir School (Milwaukee)
- National Rank: #1,090
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 53.6
- Enrollment: 616

27. Pewaukee High School (Pewaukee)
- National Rank: #1,105
- Graduation rate: 97%
- College readiness: 42.0
- Enrollment: 885

28. Madison West High School (Madison)
- National Rank: #1,137
- Graduation rate: 88%
- College readiness: 42.7
- Enrollment: 2,137

29. Oostburg High School (Oostburg)
- National Rank: #1,146
- Graduation rate: 100%
- College readiness: 44.9
- Enrollment: 328

30. Slinger High School (Slinger)
- National Rank: #1,168
- Graduation rate: 98%
- College readiness: 47.1
- Enrollment: 1,079

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 (Virginia)
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)