Best public high schools in Rhode Island

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.6 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the best public high schools in Rhode Island using 2027 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority 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 can read more about Niche's methodology here.

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#25. Paul Cuffee Upper School

- Location: Paul Cuffee Charter School, RI
- Enrollment: 243 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#24. West Warwick High School

- Location: West Warwick Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,081 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#23. Metropolitan Career Tech Center

- Location: Providence, RI
- Enrollment: 817 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#22. Chariho High School

- Location: Chariho Regional School District, RI
- Enrollment: 991 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#21. Mt. Hope High School

- Location: Bristol Warren Regional School District, RI
- Enrollment: 787 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#20. Westerly High School

- Location: Westerly Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 650 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#19. Cranston High School West

- Location: Cranston Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,653 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#18. Exeter-West Greenwich Regional

- Location: Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District, RI
- Enrollment: 452 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#17. Cumberland High School

- Location: Cumberland School Department, RI
- Enrollment: 1,428 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#16. Blackstone Valley Prep High School

- Location: Blackstone Valley Prep, RI
- Enrollment: 405 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#15. Smithfield High School

- Location: Smithfield Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 729 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#14. Davies Career & Technical High School

- Location: Lincoln, RI
- Enrollment: 898 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#13. South Kingstown High School

- Location: South Kingstown School District, RI
- Enrollment: 688 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#12. Middletown High School

- Location: Middletown Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 523 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#11. The Greene School

- Location: West Greenwich, RI
- Enrollment: 189 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#10. Ponaganset High School

- Location: Foster-Glocester Regional School District, RI
- Enrollment: 869 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#9. North Smithfield High School

- Location: North Smithfield School Department, RI
- Enrollment: 532 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#8. Lincoln Senior High School

- Location: Lincoln Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 973 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#7. Narragansett High School

- Location: Narragansett School System, RI
- Enrollment: 372 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#6. Portsmouth High School

- Location: Portsmouth School District, RI
- Enrollment: 785 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#5. Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing & Visual Arts

- Location: Pawtucket School District, RI
- Enrollment: 173 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#4. East Greenwich High School

- Location: East Greenwich Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 742 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#3. North Kingstown Senior High School

- Location: North Kingstown School District, RI
- Enrollment: 1,278 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#2. Barrington High School

- Location: Barrington Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,098 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#1. Classical High School

- Location: Providence Public Schools, RI
- Enrollment: 1,116 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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