U.S. News Announces 2021 Best High Schools Rankings

More than 17,800 schools are evaluated in this year's rankings.

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Apr 27, 2021, 00:01 ET

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today unveiled the 2021 Best High Schools. The new edition ranks more than 17,800 public high schools throughout the country, measuring how well schools serve students from various social and economic backgrounds.

In this edition:

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia is No. 1 in the national ranking of Best High Schools, as well as among magnet schools. BASIS Chandler in Arizona is at the top of the list for charter schools, and High Technology High School in New Jersey is the No. 1 STEM school.
The top 10 schools in the national ranking represent 10 different states, demonstrating that high-quality public high schools can be found throughout the U.S.
Among all ranked schools, 35.3% are in rural or remote areas and 24.6% are in cities. Among just the top 5% of ranked schools, 7.2% are in rural or remote areas and 42.3% are in cities.

"Families can use the Best High Schools rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state and local level on factors like graduation rates and college readiness," said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. "The rankings also provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups."

The methodology focuses on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates. College readiness specifically measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. The data used in this edition is from the 2018-2019 academic school year, and therefore was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alongside the national rankings, U.S. News published rankings at the state, metro area and school district levels. Only metro areas and school districts with three or more high schools were included in these subrankings.

The Best High Schools rankings are available exclusively on USNews.com and include data on a variety of factors, such as enrollment, student diversity, participation in free and reduced-price lunch programs, graduation rates and the results of state assessments. U.S. News worked with RTI International, a global research firm, to implement the comprehensive ranking methodology. For more information, visit Facebook and Twitter using #BestHighSchools.

2021 Best High Schools National Rankings – Top 10
*See the full rankings here.

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (VA)
2. Academic Magnet High School (SC)
3. The Davidson Academy of Nevada
4. Payton College Preparatory High School (IL)
5. School for Advanced Studies (FL)
6. Sumner Academy of Arts and Science (KS)
7. Merrol Hyde Magnet School (TN)
8. BASIS Chandler (AZ)
9. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology (GA)
10. Signature School (IN)

2021 Best STEM High Schools – Top 5
1. High Technology High School (NJ)
2. The Early College at Guilford (NC)
3. Science and Engineering Magnet School (TX)
4. BASIS Chandler (AZ)
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (VA)

2021 Best Charter High Schools – Top 5
1. BASIS Chandler (AZ)
2. Signature School (IN)
3. BASIS Oro Valley (AZ)
4. BASIS Peoria (AZ)
5. BASIS Scottsdale (AZ)

2021 Best Magnet High Schools – Top 5
1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (VA)
2. Academic Magnet High School (SC)
3. Payton College Preparatory High School (IL)
4. Sumner Academy of Arts and Science (KS)
5. Merrol Hyde Magnet School (TN)

For high school students looking ahead to college, the U.S. News Scholarship Finder provides information on thousands of scholarships and other financial aid options. Users can narrow their search by location, area of study, type of award and more.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A digital news and information company focused on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and News, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report