Best public high schools in Pennsylvania
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: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2021, 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 30 best public high schools in Pennsylvania using 2023 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. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.
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#30. Peters Township High School
– Location: Peters Township School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,295 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#29. North Penn Senior High School
– Location: North Penn School District, PA
– Enrollment: 3,138 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#28. New Hope-Solebury High School
– Location: New Hope-Solebury School District, PA
– Enrollment: 468 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#27. Franklin Regional Senior High School
– Location: Franklin Regional School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,101 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#26. The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts
– Location: Bethlehem, PA
– Enrollment: 610 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
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#25. Lower Moreland High School
– Location: Lower Moreland Township School District, PA
– Enrollment: 824 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#24. South Fayette Township High School
– Location: South Fayette Township School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,094 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#23. Spring-Ford Senior High School
– Location: Spring-Ford Area School District, PA
– Enrollment: 2,561 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#22. Central Bucks High School – South
– Location: Central Bucks School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,722 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A
#21. Central Bucks High School – West
– Location: Central Bucks School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,507 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
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#20. Plymouth-Whitemarsh Senior High School
– Location: Colonial School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,503 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#19. Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy
– Location: Erie City School District, PA
– Enrollment: 732 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#18. Wissahickon Senior High School
– Location: Wissahickon School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,467 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#17. Strath Haven High School
– Location: Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,210 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#16. Garnet Valley High School
– Location: Garnet Valley School District, PA•
– Enrollment: 1,546 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
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#15. Great Valley High School
– Location: Great Valley School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,402 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#14. State College Area High School
– Location: State College Area School District, PA
– Enrollment: 2,436 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#13. Hershey High School
– Location: Derry Township School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,128 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#12. Unionville High School
– Location: Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,348 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#11. Upper St. Clair High School
– Location: Upper St. Clair School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,315 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
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#10. Central Bucks High School – East
– Location: Central Bucks School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,385 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#9. Fox Chapel Area High School
– Location: Fox Chapel Area School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,309 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#8. Mt. Lebanon Senior High School
– Location: Mt. Lebanon School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,820 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#7. Central High School
– Location: Philadelphia City School District, PA
– Enrollment: 2,381 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#6. Harriton Senior High School
– Location: Lower Merion School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,261 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
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#5. North Allegheny High School
– Location: North Allegheny School District, PA
– Enrollment: 2,698 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#4. Downingtown STEM Academy
– Location: Downingtown Area School District, PA
– Enrollment: 883 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#3. Radnor Senior High School
– Location: Radnor Township School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,165 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#2. Conestoga Senior High School
– Location: Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, PA
– Enrollment: 2,335 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
#1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School
– Location: Philadelphia City School District, PA
– Enrollment: 1,180 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+
This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
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By Stacker
Ah, the grand list of schools where the future leaders and probably my future boss comes from. Gotta love seeing my school not making the cut. Go education!
Can someone explain why Julia Masterman is always at the top? I mean, it’s a good school, but are the others really so far behind?
Guess my high school is too cool for this list. It’s fine, we’re probably top at being bottom at something, right?
It’s interesting to see the variety of schools on here. Each must have its unique strengths and weaknesses.
Wow, so my alma mater finally made it onto a list. Guess miracles do happen. Is this the part where we start caring about rankings?
Haha, right? About time we got some recognition. Go team!
Absolutely! It’s our time to shine. So proud!
Rankings, rankings. Does anyone really change because they’re on some list? Doubt it. Same old, same old.
Seeing my old high school on here makes me think about how much it actually prepared me for college. Spoiler: barely.
None of these schools are that great if you ask me. Overrated and overpriced, even for a public school.
Considering the criteria for these rankings, I really think we need to rethink our values. Test scores? Really? What about creativity, critical thinking? Schools like Downingtown STEM get it, but what about the rest?
How exactly do they decide who’s top or not? Like, what makes one school better than another? Anyone know?
It’s mostly about test scores, graduation rates, and college readiness. Stuff like that.
I taught English at Mount Lebanon Junior High School in the 60’s.
I was hoping Pennsbury High School would hbe made this list…