
Best high schools in the Youngstown 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 Youngstown 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. Sharon High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Sharon City School District, PA
- Enrollment: 523 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

#24. Poland Seminary High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Poland Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 806 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
#23. Sharpsville Area Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Sharpsville Area School District, PA
- Enrollment: 357 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

#22. Lordstown High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Lordstown Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 193 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

#21. South Range High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: South Range Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 367 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#20. Champion High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Champion Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 388 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#19. Wilmington Area High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Wilmington Area School District, PA
- Enrollment: 310 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#18. Mineral Ridge High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Weathersfield Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 430 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#17. Jackson-Milton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Jackson-Milton Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 179 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#16. Columbiana High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Columbiana Exempted Village School District, OH
- Enrollment: 313 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#15. John F. Kennedy Catholic School - Upper Campus
- School type: Private School
- Location: Warren, OH
- Enrollment: 310 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
#14. Western Reserve High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Western Reserve Local School District (Berlin Center), OH
- Enrollment: 141 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#13. Neshannock Junior/Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Neshannock Township School District, PA
- Enrollment: 537 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#12. Lakeview High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Lakeview Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 454 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#11. Fitch High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Austintown Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,228 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#10. McDonald High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: McDonald Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 349 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#9. Boardman High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Boardman Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,166 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#8. Hickory High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Hermitage School District, PA
- Enrollment: 811 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

#7. Kennedy Catholic High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Hermitage, PA
- Enrollment: 300 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#6. Youngstown Early College
- School type: Public School
- Location: Youngstown City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 266 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#5. Valley Christian Schools
- School type: Private School
- Location: Youngstown, OH
- Enrollment: 559 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#4. Victory Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Niles, OH
- Enrollment: 103 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#3. Canfield High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Canfield Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 782 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#2. Cardinal Mooney High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Youngstown, OH
- Enrollment: 290 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#1. Ursuline High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Youngstown, OH
- Enrollment: 526 (14:1 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.