Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Franklin Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 44 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: C+
Best high schools in the Tallahassee 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 Tallahassee 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.
You may also like: What salary do I need to afford a house in Tallahassee in 2026?
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
2 / 25#24. PACE Center for Girls - Tallahassee
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 64 (64:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: D minus
Achira22 // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Carter Parramore Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Gadsden County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 43 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: D minus
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Success Academy at Ghazvini Learning Center
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 226 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: D+
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
5 / 25#21. Aucilla Christian Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Monticello, FL
- Enrollment: 362 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: C
You may also like: Is it cheaper to buy or rent in Tallahassee in 2026?
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
6 / 25#20. Jefferson County Schools K-12
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jefferson County School District, FL
- Enrollment: 715 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: C
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 25#19. Gadsden County High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Gadsden County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 1,006 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: C+
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
8 / 25#18. Wakulla Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Crawfordville, FL
- Enrollment: 219 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
9 / 25#17. Florida A&M University Developmental Research School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 621 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
10 / 25#16. Tallavana Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Havana, FL
- Enrollment: 168 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
You may also like: Best public high schools in the Tallahassee metro area
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. Amos P. Godby High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 1,444 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
12 / 25#14. Wakulla High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Wakulla County School District, FL
- Enrollment: 1,418 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
maroke // Shutterstock
13 / 25#13. Crossroad Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Gadsden County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 553 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
sirtravelalot // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. James Rickards High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 1,581 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
15 / 25#11. John Paul II Catholic High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 200 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
You may also like: Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in the Tallahassee area by diners
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
16 / 25#10. Community Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 423 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. North Florida Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 497 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
maroke // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. SAIL High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 384 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Joyseulay // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. Lincoln High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 1,861 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. Leon High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 1,935 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
You may also like: Tallahassee 7-day weather forecast
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
21 / 25#5. Robert F. Munroe Day School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Havana, FL
- Enrollment: 609 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. Lawton Chiles High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Leon County Schools, FL
- Enrollment: 1,900 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Community Leadership Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 297 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. Maclay School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 1,130 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. Florida State University School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Enrollment: 1,875 (not available 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.
You may also like: Highest-rated fine dining restaurants in the Tallahassee area by diners
