If There Was an Ivy League High School, This Would Be It

VaselineSeptember 7, 2024

0 11 minutes read

If There Was an Ivy League High School, This Would Be It

24/7 Wall St. Insights

We used data compiled by Niche, an education and community research platform.
In 2019, just 37% of high school seniors were proficient in reading, and only 24% were proficient in math.
Also, 2 Dividend Legends To Hold Forever

In the United States, students can receive an education in public, private, or home schools. The states themselves set standards overall and usually mandate standardized testing of some kind for K-12 public schools. Public schools receive funds from local taxes, state money, and federal resources. In 2021, the state and local sources provided $1.3 trillion in funding, and the federal Department of Education kicked in an additional $260 billion.

The degree to which a public school is successful in turning out the best-educated students can and does vary from town to town and state to state. Finding the best school district near you, even if it’s a distance away, might be worth it to see your child succeed. However, if you have the money, private schools are also an option.

The National Assessment of Education Progress, a U.S. Department of Education program, found that in 2019, just 37% of high school seniors were proficient in reading, and only 24% were proficient in math. Still, despite the apparent deficiencies of the education system at large, many public schools across the country have distinguished themselves through exceptional student outcomes.

Using data compiled by Niche, an education and community research platform, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 50 best public high schools in America for 2024. Niche ranked schools based on a weighted index of multiple measures, including standardized test results, graduation rates, AP enrollment, student-teacher ratios, and parent and student surveys. A full description of each measure and its weighting is available here. Charter and magnet schools were excluded from the analysis.

Among the 50 top-ranking public high schools in the United States, graduation rates range from 93% to 100%. Additionally, in each school on this list with available standardized test data, average ACT and SAT scores exceed the national averages of 20.3 out of 36 and 1050 out of 1600, respectively. Part of this could be due to some amazing teachers, while others might have exceptional funding or great programs.

Why We Are Writing About Schools

If There Was an Ivy League High School, This Would Be It

Education plays a large role in how the country works, including how people get more money and the efficiency of businesses and corporations. For those looking to have their kids do well as they grow up, it’s important to make sure your kid has a fighting chance. These top 50 high schools give kids the education and resources they need to get into great colleges and later get a high-paying job and life-long career.

Here are the 50 best public high schools in America.

50. Radnor Senior High School

Location: Radnor, PA
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Avg. SAT score: 1350 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 83.0%
Total enrollment: 1,165

49. Weston High School

Location: Weston, MA
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1340 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 61.9%
Total enrollment: 638

48. Winston Churchill High School

Location: Potomac, MD
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
Avg. graduation rate: 96%
Avg. SAT score: 1380 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 73.2%
Total enrollment: 2,212

47. Jericho Senior High School

Location: Jericho, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1420 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 58.3%
Total enrollment: 1,205

46. Great Neck South High School

Location: Great Neck, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
Avg. graduation rate: 97%
Avg. SAT score: 1400 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 46.0%
Total enrollment: 1,222

45. Conestoga Senior High School

Location: Berwyn, PA
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Avg. SAT score: 1360 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 51.3%
Total enrollment: 2,335

44. Hinsdale Central High School

Location: Hinsdale, IL
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
Avg. graduation rate: 94%
Avg. SAT score: 1360 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 40.4%
Total enrollment: 2,544

43. University High School

Location: Irvine, CA
Student-teacher ratio: 25:1
Avg. graduation rate: 94%
Avg. SAT score: 1400 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 44.5%
Total enrollment: 2,097

42. Palo Alto High School

Location: Palo Alto, CA
Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
Avg. graduation rate: 97%
Avg. SAT score: 1400 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 42.5%
Total enrollment: 2,010

41. Walt Whitman High School

Location: Bethesda, MD
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
Avg. graduation rate: 96%
Avg. SAT score: 1380 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 65.0%
Total enrollment: 2,029

40. Lexington High School

Location: Lexington, MA
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1390 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 44.6%
Total enrollment: 2,273

39. Westwood High IB World School

Location: Austin, TX
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Avg. SAT score: 1360 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 49.6%
Total enrollment: 2,781

38. Glenbrook North High School

Location: Northbrook, IL
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Avg. SAT score: 1340 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 31.0%
Total enrollment: 2,052

37. High School Math, Science & Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY)

Location: New York, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1420 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 96.0%
Total enrollment: 524

36. River Hill High School

Location: Clarksville, MD
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1370 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 61.8%
Total enrollment: 1,508

35. Glenbrook South High School

Location: Glenview, IL
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Avg. SAT score: 1310 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 31.4%
Total enrollment: 3,080

34. Neuqua Valley High School

Location: Naperville, IL
Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Avg. SAT score: 1330 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 29 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 44.4%
Total enrollment: 3,297

33. New Trier Township High School

Location: Winnetka, IL
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
Avg. graduation rate: 98%
Avg. SAT score: 1350 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 29.3%
Total enrollment: 2,995

32. The College Academy at Broward College

Location: Davie, FL
Student-teacher ratio: 27:1
Avg. graduation rate: 100%
Avg. SAT score: 1300 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 28 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 466

31. Bergen County Technical High School – Teterboro

Location: Teterboro, NJ
Student-teacher ratio: 10:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1390 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 66.2%
Total enrollment: 678

30. Aspire, Deer Valley’s Online Academy

Location: Phoenix, AZ
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
Avg. graduation rate: 94%
Avg. SAT score: N/A
Avg. ACT score: N/A
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 370

29. West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School

Location: West Lafayette, IN
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1350 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 35.0%
Total enrollment: 1,100

28. Carroll Senior High School

Location: Southlake, TX
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1350 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 61.8%
Total enrollment: 1,394

27. Ladue Horton Watkins High School

Location: St Louis, MO
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
Avg. graduation rate: 97%
Avg. SAT score: 1450 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 29 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 48.6%
Total enrollment: 1,324

26. Bard High School Early College Queens

Location: Long Island City, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1360 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 675

25. Half Hollow Hills High School West

Location: Dix Hills, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 9:1
Avg. graduation rate: 93%
Avg. SAT score: 1290 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 29 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 85.5%
Total enrollment: 1,035

24. Academy of the Canyons

Location: Santa Clarita, CA
Student-teacher ratio: 28:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1330 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 395

23. Westlake High School

Location: Austin, TX
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1360 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 68.8%
Total enrollment: 2,823

22. Canyon Crest Academy

Location: San Diego, CA
Student-teacher ratio: 28:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1420 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 56.7%
Total enrollment: 2,346

21. School for Advanced Studies – Wolfson

Location: Miami, FL
Student-teacher ratio: 41:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1330 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 29 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 99.1%
Total enrollment: 123

20. University High School

Location: Tucson, AZ
Student-teacher ratio: 23:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1340 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 100.0%
Total enrollment: 1,129

19. Henry M. Gunn High School

Location: Palo Alto, CA
Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
Avg. graduation rate: 96%
Avg. SAT score: 1430 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 40.2%
Total enrollment: 1,868

18. Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts

Location: Hot Springs, AR
Student-teacher ratio: 8:1
Avg. graduation rate: 100%
Avg. SAT score: 1390 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 30 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 255

17. High School of American Studies at Lehman College

Location: Bronx, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1430 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 70.5%
Total enrollment: 408

16. School for Advanced Studies – Homestead

Location: Homestead, FL
Student-teacher ratio: 33:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1300 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 28 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 99.1%
Total enrollment: 133

15. Scarsdale Senior High School

Location: Scarsdale, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1420 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 1,471

14. Biotechnology High School

Location: Freehold, NJ
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1490 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 34 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 22.6%
Total enrollment: 315

13. Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science

Location: Manahawkin, NJ
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1430 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 274

12. Troy High School

Location: Fullerton, CA
Student-teacher ratio: 23:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1400 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 67.0%
Total enrollment: 2,614

11. A.D. Henderson University School & FAU High School

Location: Boca Raton, FL
Student-teacher ratio: 30:1
Avg. graduation rate: 100%
Avg. SAT score: 1370 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 1,294

10. Adlai E. Stevenson High School

Location: Lincolnshire, IL
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
Avg. graduation rate: 97%
Avg. SAT score: 1360 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 50.6%
Total enrollment: 4,392

9. High Technology High School

Location: Lincroft, NJ
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1530 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 43.6%
Total enrollment: 287

8. Stuyvesant High School

Location: New York, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1500 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 55.7%
Total enrollment: 3,304

7. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology

Location: Lawrenceville, GA
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1390 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 71.7%
Total enrollment: 1,165

6. Townsend Harris High School

Location: Flushing, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1420 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 89.9%
Total enrollment: 1,347

5. Bronx High School of Science

Location: Bronx, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1450 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 68.7%
Total enrollment: 2,985

4. Staten Island Technical High School

Location: Staten Island, NY
Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1440 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 95.5%
Total enrollment: 1,355

3. South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics

Location: Hartsville, SC
Student-teacher ratio: N/A
Avg. graduation rate: 95%
Avg. SAT score: 1380 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 31 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: 98.5%
Total enrollment: 270

2. Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics

Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Student-teacher ratio: 4:1
Avg. graduation rate: 100%
Avg. SAT score: 1420 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 32 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 120

1. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Location: Durham, NC
Student-teacher ratio: 8:1
Avg. graduation rate: 99%
Avg. SAT score: 1450 out of 1600
Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
Total enrollment: 976

ALERT: Take This Retirement Quiz Now (Sponsored)

Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.

Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.

Here’s how it works:

1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz

2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.

3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future

Take the retirement quiz right here.

The post If There Was an Ivy League High School, This Would Be It appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..