Best public high schools in New York
As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.5 million students enrolled in public PreK-12 schools in 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in New York using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses eight weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics and grades, but other factors include culture and diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, resources, and surveys of parents, teachers and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
Editor's note: The original article had inaccuracies when multiple schools in New York had the same name. In most of these instances, the wrong data was displayed in the ranking. Stacker sincerely apologizes for the errors.
#30. New Explorations into Science, Technology & Math School
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 1
- Enrollment: 1,797 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#29. Bronxville High School
- District: Bronxville Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 541 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#28. Pittsford-Mendon High School
- District: Pittsford Central School District
- Enrollment: 1,008 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#27. Wheatley School
- District: East Williston Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 703 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#26. Brighton High School
- District: Brighton Central School District
- Enrollment: 1,237 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#25. Baccalaureate School for Global Education
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 30
- Enrollment: 579 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#24. Byram Hills High School
- District: Byram Hills Central School District
- Enrollment: 708 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#23. Rye High School
- District: Rye City School District
- Enrollment: 1,000 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#22. Bard High School Early College
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 1
- Enrollment: 635 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#21. Pelham Memorial High School
- District: Pelham Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 904 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#20. Eleanor Roosevelt High School
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 2
- Enrollment: 546 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#19. Half Hollow Hills High School East
- District: Half Hollow Hills Central School District
- Enrollment: 1,609 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#18. Great Neck North High School
- District: Great Neck Public Schools
- Enrollment: 1,162 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#17. Horace Greeley High School
- District: Chappaqua Central School District
- Enrollment: 1,175 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#16. Half Hollow Hills High School West
- District: Half Hollow Hills Central School District
- Enrollment: 1,116 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#15. Bard High School Early College Queens
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 24
- Enrollment: 653 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#14. Herricks High School
- District: Herricks Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 1,347 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#13. Scarsdale Senior High School
- District: Scarsdale Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 1,508 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#12. Brooklyn Technical High School
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 13
- Enrollment: 5,943 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#11. Manhasset Secondary School
- District: Manhasset Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 976 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#10. Roslyn High School
- District: Roslyn Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 1,025 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#9. Syosset Senior High School
- District: Syosset Central School District
- Enrollment: 2,208 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#8. High School Math Science & Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY)
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 5
- Enrollment: 496 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#7. High School of American Studies at Lehman College
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 10
- Enrollment: 385 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#6. Great Neck South High School
- District: Great Neck Public Schools
- Enrollment: 1,226 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#5. Jericho Senior High School
- District: Jericho Union Free School District
- Enrollment: 1,205 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#4. Townsend Harris High School
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 25
- Enrollment: 1,270 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#3. Staten Island Technical High School
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 31
- Enrollment: 1,336 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#2. Stuyvesant High School
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 2
- Enrollment: 3,357 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
#1. Bronx High School of Science
- District: New York City Geographic District No. 10
- Enrollment: 2,937 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
