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1 / 25#25. Hamilton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chandler Unified School District No. 80, AZ
- Enrollment: 3,850 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Best high schools in the Phoenix metro area
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.
To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.
Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.
Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.
With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Phoenix metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most 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.
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2 / 25#24. AAEC - Paradise Valley
- School type: Public School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 316 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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3 / 25#23. Great Hearts Academies - Glendale Prep
- School type: Public School
- Location: Peoria, AZ
- Enrollment: 610 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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4 / 25#22. Great Hearts Academies - Anthem
- School type: Public School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 1,088 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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5 / 25#21. Gilbert Classical Academy High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Gilbert Public Schools, AZ
- Enrollment: 596 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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6 / 25#20. Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center - Estrella
- School type: Public School
- Location: Avondale, AZ
- Enrollment: 412 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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7 / 25#19. University High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Tolleson Union High School District, AZ
- Enrollment: 379 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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8 / 25#18. Xavier College Preparatory Roman Catholic High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 1,156 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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9 / 25#17. Bella Vista College Preparatory School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 89 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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10 / 25#16. Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 103 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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11 / 25#15. BASIS Goodyear
- School type: Public School
- Location: Goodyear, AZ
- Enrollment: 290 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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12 / 25#14. Rancho Solano Preparatory School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Scottsdale, AZ
- Enrollment: 900 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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13 / 25#13. Arizona Cultural Academy & College Prep
- School type: Private School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 469 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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14 / 25#12. Great Hearts Academies - Chandler Prep
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chandler, AZ
- Enrollment: 766 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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15 / 25#11. Arizona College Prep High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chandler Unified School District No. 80, AZ
- Enrollment: 1,775 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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16 / 25#10. Tempe Preparatory Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Tempe, AZ
- Enrollment: 443 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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17 / 25#9. Great Hearts - Scottsdale Preparatory Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Scottsdale, AZ
- Enrollment: 875 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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18 / 25#8. BASIS Peoria
- School type: Public School
- Location: Peoria, AZ
- Enrollment: 974 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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19 / 25#7. Brophy College Preparatory
- School type: Private School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 1,407 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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20 / 25#6. BASIS Chandler
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chandler, AZ
- Enrollment: 1,146 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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21 / 25#5. BASIS Ahwatukee
- School type: Public School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 692 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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22 / 25#4. BASIS Phoenix
- School type: Public School
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Enrollment: 744 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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23 / 25#3. BASIS Mesa
- School type: Public School
- Location: Mesa, AZ
- Enrollment: 840 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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24 / 25#2. BASIS Scottsdale
- School type: Public School
- Location: Scottsdale, AZ
- Enrollment: 994 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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25 / 25#1. Phoenix Country Day School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Paradise Valley, AZ
- Enrollment: 769 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.
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