
Best high schools in the Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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.

#25. Magnificat High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rocky River, OH
- Enrollment: 695 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#24. Westlake High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Westlake City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,066 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#23. Avon High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Avon Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,456 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#22. Archbishop Hoban High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Akron, OH
- Enrollment: 818 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#21. Lutheran West High School & Middle School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Rocky River, OH
- Enrollment: 679 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#20. Fuchs Mizrachi School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Beachwood, OH
- Enrollment: 426 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#19. Aurora High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Aurora City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 987 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#18. St. Edward High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Lakewood, OH
- Enrollment: 867 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#17. Beaumont School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Cleveland Heights, OH
- Enrollment: 305 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#16. Rocky River High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Rocky River City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 855 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#15. Our Lady of the Elms
- School type: Private School
- Location: Akron, OH
- Enrollment: 300 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
#14. Hudson High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Hudson City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,507 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#13. Beachwood High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Beachwood City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 587 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#12. Chagrin Falls High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School District, OH
- Enrollment: 586 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#11. Orange High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Orange City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 608 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#10. Saint Ignatius High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Cleveland, OH
- Enrollment: 1,415 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#9. Gilmour Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Gates Mills, OH
- Enrollment: 790 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#8. Andrews Osborne Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Willoughby, OH
- Enrollment: 350 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#7. Lake Ridge Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: North Ridgeville, OH
- Enrollment: 400 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#6. Solon High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Solon City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,483 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#5. Laurel School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Shaker Heights, OH
- Enrollment: 590 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#4. Hathaway Brown School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Shaker Heights, OH
- Enrollment: 740 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#3. Hawken School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Gates Mills, OH
- Enrollment: 1,082 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#2. Western Reserve Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Hudson, OH
- Enrollment: 431 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#1. University School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Hunting Valley, OH
- Enrollment: 842 (7:1 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.