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1 / 25#25. Rochester Early College International High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Rochester City School District, NY
- Enrollment: 350 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Best high schools in the Rochester 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 Rochester 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. Ruben A. Cirillo High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Gananda Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 242 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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3 / 25#23. Spencerport High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Spencerport Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,142 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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4 / 25#22. Thomas High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Webster Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,258 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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5 / 25#21. Lake Ontario Baptist Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Hilton, NY
- Enrollment: 53 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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6 / 25#20. The Aquinas Institute of Rochester
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Enrollment: 773 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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7 / 25#19. Gates-Chili High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Gates-Chili Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,132 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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8 / 25#18. Hilton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Hilton Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,366 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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9 / 25#17. Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Enrollment: 721 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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10 / 25#16. Eastridge Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: East Irondequoit Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 850 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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11 / 25#15. Irondequoit High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: West Irondequoit Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,163 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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12 / 25#14. Honeoye Falls-Lima Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 664 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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13 / 25#13. Webster-Schroeder High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Webster Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,314 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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14 / 25#12. Canandaigua Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Canandaigua City School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,082 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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15 / 25#11. Rush-Henrietta Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Rush-Henrietta Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,300 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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16 / 25#10. Victor Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Victor Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,320 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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17 / 25#9. Bishop Kearney High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Enrollment: 391 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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18 / 25#8. Penfield Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Penfield Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,424 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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19 / 25#7. McQuaid Jesuit Preparatory School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Enrollment: 761 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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20 / 25#6. Fairport Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Fairport Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,304 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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21 / 25#5. Allendale Columbia School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Enrollment: 355 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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22 / 25#4. Brighton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Brighton Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 1,243 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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23 / 25#3. Pittsford Sutherland High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Pittsford Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 898 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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24 / 25#2. Pittsford-Mendon High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Pittsford Central School District, NY
- Enrollment: 914 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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25 / 25#1. The Harley School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Enrollment: 471 (6:1 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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