panitanphoto // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Amy Biehl Charter High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 222 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Best high schools in the Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque 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: Albuquerque 7-day weather forecast
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 25#24. Gospel Light Baptist Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rio Rancho, NM
- Enrollment: 216 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Cleveland High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Rio Rancho Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 2,631 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Albuquerque High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 1,714 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock
5 / 25#21. Mission Achievement & Success Charter School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Mission Achievement & Success, NM
- Enrollment: 1,168 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
You may also like: Highest-paying jobs in Albuquerque that require a bachelor's degree
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
6 / 25#20. Explore Academy - Albuquerque
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 1,204 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 25#19. Albuquerque School of Excellence
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 1,002 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
8 / 25#18. The Ask Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Rio Rancho, NM
- Enrollment: 625 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
9 / 25#17. Hope Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 1,421 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Studio KIWI // Shutterstock
10 / 25#16. International School at Mesa Del Sol
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 334 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
You may also like: Highest-rated campgrounds in the Albuquerque area by visitors
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. Sandia High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 1,728 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
maroke // Shutterstock
12 / 25#14. Eldorado High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 1,622 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
13 / 25#13. Public Academy for Performing Arts
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 434 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
maroke // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. College & Career High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 260 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
sirtravelalot // Shutterstock
15 / 25#11. Early College Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 217 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
You may also like: Best public middle schools in the Albuquerque metro area
LBeddoe // Shutterstock
16 / 25#10. Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 803 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. St. Pius X School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 879 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. Albuquerque Institute of Math & Science
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 342 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. La Cueva High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 1,816 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Achira22 // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. East Mountain High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 376 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
You may also like: Car insurance rates in Albuquerque October 2025
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
21 / 25#5. Menaul School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 215 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. Nex+Gen Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Albuquerque Public Schools, NM
- Enrollment: 237 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Bosque School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 411 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. Sandia Preparatory School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 513 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. Albuquerque Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
- Enrollment: 1,199 (8:1 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.
You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Albuquerque in the last week
