Best high schools in the Boston metro area

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June 26, 2025
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Best high schools in the Boston 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 Boston 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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#25. Lexington Christian Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Lexington, MA
- Enrollment: 317 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#24. Weston High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Weston Public Schools, MA
- Enrollment: 639 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#23. Lawrence Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Groton, MA
- Enrollment: 415 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#22. The Cambridge School of Weston

- School type: Private School
- Location: Weston, MA
- Enrollment: 308 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#21. Beaver Country Day School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
- Enrollment: 457 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#20. The Newman School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Boston, MA
- Enrollment: 258 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#19. International School of Boston

- School type: Private School
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Enrollment: 576 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#18. Dana Hall School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Wellelsey, MA
- Enrollment: 454 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#17. St. Sebastian's School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Needham, MA
- Enrollment: 380 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#16. The Rivers School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Weston, MA
- Enrollment: 534 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#15. Brooks School

- School type: Private School
- Location: North Andover, MA
- Enrollment: 341 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#14. The Winsor School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Boston, MA
- Enrollment: 450 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#13. British International School of Boston

- School type: Private School
- Location: Boston (jamaica Plain), MA
- Enrollment: 543 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#12. The Roxbury Latin School

- School type: Private School
- Location: West Roxbury, MA
- Enrollment: 309 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#11. Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Enrollment: 1,048 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#10. Concord Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Concord, MA
- Enrollment: 416 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#9. Belmont Hill School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Belmont, MA
- Enrollment: 465 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#8. Milton Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Milton, MA
- Enrollment: 1,020 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#7. St. Mark's School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Southborough, MA
- Enrollment: 377 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#6. Boston University Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Boston, MA
- Enrollment: 245 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#5. Middlesex School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Concord, MA
- Enrollment: 426 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#4. Noble and Greenough School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Dedham, MA
- Enrollment: 631 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#3. Commonwealth School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Boston, MA
- Enrollment: 157 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#2. Phillips Academy Andover

- School type: Private School
- Location: Andover, MA
- Enrollment: 1,187 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#1. Groton School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Groton, MA
- Enrollment: 383 (4:1 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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