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Best public high schools in Rhode Island

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April 1, 2024
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Best public high schools in Rhode Island

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: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 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 Rhode Island using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.

A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear.
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Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock

#30. Tiverton High School

- Location: Tiverton School District, RI
- Enrollment: 495 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test.
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Achira22 // Shutterstock

#29. Cranston High School East

- Location: Cranston Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,540 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A student talking to a teacher in the hallway.
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#28. Burrillville High School

- Location: Burrillville School District, RI
- Enrollment: 666 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down.
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#27. Westerly High School

- Location: Westerly Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 726 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera.
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Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#26. NEL/CPS Construction Career

- Location: Cranston Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 173 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A high school student doing a chemical experiment.
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#25. Rogers High School

- Location: Newport Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 639 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.
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#24. North Providence High School

- Location: North Providence School Department, RI
- Enrollment: 1,095 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A student raising their hand in class.
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#23. West Warwick High School

- Location: West Warwick Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,044 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
An empty school hallway lined with red lockers.
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#22. Blackstone Academy Charter School

- Location: Pawtucket, RI
- Enrollment: 343 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard.
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#21. Metropolitan Career Tech Center

- Location: Providence, RI
- Enrollment: 815 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
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#20. Chariho High School

- Location: Chariho Regional School District, RI
- Enrollment: 1,084 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B
A hallway lined with green lockers.
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#19. Cranston High School West

- Location: Cranston Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,684 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
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#18. William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School

- Location: Lincoln, RI
- Enrollment: 895 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
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#17. Smithfield High School

- Location: Smithfield Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 791 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table.
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#16. North Smithfield High School

- Location: North Smithfield School Department, RI
- Enrollment: 528 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera.
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GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#15. Middletown High School

- Location: Middletown Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 620 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables.
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#14. South Kingstown High School

- Location: South Kingstown School District, RI
- Enrollment: 861 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
Students using microscopes in science class.
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#13. Cumberland High School

- Location: Cumberland School Department, RI
- Enrollment: 1,479 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
High school students studying and reading together in their school library.
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#12. Ponaganset High School

- Location: Foster-Glocester Regional School District, RI
- Enrollment: 949 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
Students raising their hands for class participation.
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#11. Exeter-West Greenwich Regional

- Location: Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District, RI
- Enrollment: 458 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade B+
A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook.
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#10. Lincoln Senior High School

- Location: Lincoln Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 953 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A-
Two students sharing a book.
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#9. Portsmouth High School

- Location: Portsmouth School District, RI
- Enrollment: 824 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A-
A high school student doing classwork on their laptop.
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Canva

#8. Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing & Visual Arts

- Location: Pawtucket School District, RI
- Enrollment: 191 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A-
A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk.
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#7. Blackstone Valley Prep High School

- Location: Blackstone Valley Prep, RI
- Enrollment: 403 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A-
Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor.
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#6. Narragansett High School

- Location: Narragansett School System, RI
- Enrollment: 489 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A-
Bookshelves at a high school's library.
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#5. The Greene School

- Location: West Greenwich, RI
- Enrollment: 208 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A-
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#4. North Kingstown Senior High School

- Location: North Kingstown School District, RI
- Enrollment: 1,451 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
Two rows of red lockers.
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#3. East Greenwich High School

- Location: East Greenwich Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 774 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
Empty desks in a high school classroom.
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#2. Classical High School

- Location: Providence Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,103 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A
A closeup of a student taking notes in class.
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#1. Barrington High School

- Location: Barrington Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,119 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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