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1 / 25#25. Walton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Cobb County Schools, GA
- Enrollment: 2,646 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Best high schools in the Atlanta 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 Atlanta 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. The Mount Vernon School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 1,243 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Northview High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Fulton County Schools, GA
- Enrollment: 1,674 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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4 / 25#22. Riverside Preparatory Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Gainesville, GA
- Enrollment: 204 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
5 / 25#21. Wesleyan School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Peachtree Corners, GA
- Enrollment: 1,198 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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6 / 25#20. Killian Hill Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Lilburn, GA
- Enrollment: 431 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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7 / 25#19. Lakeview Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Gainesville, GA
- Enrollment: 505 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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8 / 25#18. Mount Paran Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Kennesaw, GA
- Enrollment: 1,314 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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9 / 25#17. Mount Pisgah Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Johns Creek, GA
- Enrollment: 1,005 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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10 / 25#16. Lambert High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Forsyth County Schools, GA
- Enrollment: 3,007 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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11 / 25#15. The Galloway School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 760 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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12 / 25#14. Alliance Academy for Innovation
- School type: Public School
- Location: Forsyth County Schools, GA
- Enrollment: 1,141 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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13 / 25#13. Greater Atlanta Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Norcross, GA
- Enrollment: 1,708 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. Holy Innocents' Episcopal School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 1,402 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
15 / 25#11. Pinecrest Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Cumming, GA
- Enrollment: 543 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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16 / 25#10. Notre Dame Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Duluth, GA
- Enrollment: 329 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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17 / 25#9. The Lovett School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 1,629 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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18 / 25#8. The Walker School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Marietta, GA
- Enrollment: 973 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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19 / 25#7. Woodward Academy - College Park
- School type: Private School
- Location: College Park, GA
- Enrollment: 2,726 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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20 / 25#6. The Paideia School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 1,001 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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21 / 25#5. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
- School type: Public School
- Location: Gwinnett County Public Schools, GA
- Enrollment: 1,231 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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22 / 25#4. Atlanta International School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 1,325 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Pace Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 1,120 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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24 / 25#2. The Westminster Schools
- School type: Private School
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Enrollment: 1,900 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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25 / 25#1. Fulton Science Academy Private School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Alpharetta, GA
- Enrollment: 973 (9:1 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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