The 50 Best High Schools in New York
New York's school bragging rights are a three-way fight: the city's specialized-exam powerhouses, the suburban comprehensives of Westchester and Long Island, and the magnets and suburb schools upstate. We scored the candidates on state-reported student outcomes (50%), U.S. News rankings (25%), Niche grades (15%), and GreatSchools ratings (10%), then ranked the composite. The top spot goes to Queens — Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, first in the state on the latest full-data U.S. News edition with a 100% graduation rate — with Stuyvesant and Bronx Science right behind.
Then every school on the draft list went through the existence gate: checked against NCES and state education records to confirm it is real, open, correctly named, and in the place listed. All 50 passed. The pass did settle several labels before publication — Edgemont and Scarsdale are two different high schools in two different districts that share a postal city, and both appear under their own names; Brighton High School is addressed in Rochester even though its building sits in the town of Brighton; and one famous Westchester name, Mamaroneck, was cut on current state outcomes despite its reputation — verified open, first alternate, and a reminder that the numbers decide here, not the name.
How this ranking was built — and what got cut
The composite is the published school formula — state outcomes 50%, U.S. News 25%, Niche 15%, GreatSchools 10% — with one disclosed method catch: the U.S. News 2026–27 edition is distorted for New York, because the state withheld the AP data that makes up roughly 40% of that edition's score. Rather than rank New York schools on a hollowed-out input, the composite reads the 2025–26 full-data edition as its primary U.S. News source and cross-checks against 2026–27. The choice is printed here because the formula is only credible if its exceptions are.
The existence gate, run against NCES and state education records, returned 49 clean, 1 flag, 0 failures across a list that mixes 40 public schools with 10 privates. Merit calls were made on current state data, not on reputation: Mamaroneck was cut despite glowing review-site grades because its Regents-based state ranking sits at #142 of 1,234 schools — under a formula where state outcomes carry half the weight, that ends the argument. Herricks earned the #47 slot on its current Regents numbers instead.
The flag became a published correction before the list ever shipped. Townsend Harris was drafted at #15, but its Regents standard-score rank slid from #71 in 2023 to #145 in 2024 to #121 of 1,234 — on the single metric carrying 50% of the composite, the primary signal contradicts the slot. It was moved to #30, which still credits its elite U.S. News, Niche, and GreatSchools quarters and its 100% graduation rate. Its existence was never in question; its placement was, and the data won.
The full Top 50
Queens
Manhattan
Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Scarsdale
Bronx
Brooklyn
Staten Island
Jericho
Great Neck
Scarsdale
Garden City
Hastings-on-Hudson
Manhattan
Manhattan
Armonk
Manhasset
Manhattan
Syosset
Chappaqua
Bronxville
Bronx
Rye
Pittsford
Buffalo
Queens
Bronx
Manhattan
Queens
Cold Spring Harbor
Harrison
Manlius
Rochester
Manhattan
Niskayuna
Roslyn Heights
Manhattan
Port Washington
Locust Valley
Delmar
Manhattan
Dix Hills
Commack
Manhattan
Pittsford
New Hyde Park
Brooklyn
Pelham
East Amherst
How we rank
Ranked on academics, college readiness, graduation outcomes, and student & parent reviews — 2026 composite.
Before any scoring, every candidate passes our existence gate: confirmed open, operating at the location listed, and showing recent activity. Anything closed, moved, or mislabeled is removed — no exceptions, no grandfathering. Weights and sources are published on our methodology page.
Notes & corrections
School facts move — districts consolidate, schools rename, new academies open. This list is re-verified against state and federal registries before it is posted anywhere, and spot-checked on a rolling basis. If you spot a change we haven't caught, email [email protected] and we will correct the record publicly. If it's listed, it exists.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best high school in New York?
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College ranks #1, edging Stuyvesant (#2) on the published weights: it is U.S. News' #1 school in New York on the full-data edition, posts a 100% graduation rate, and its state-outcomes scores are effectively tied with Stuyvesant's. Both schools were verified against NCES and state records.
How are New York high schools ranked here?
State outcomes carry 50% of the composite, U.S. News 25%, Niche 15%, and GreatSchools 10%. One disclosure: the U.S. News 2026–27 edition is distorted for New York because the state withheld AP data (roughly 40% of that edition's score), so the composite uses the 2025–26 full-data edition as primary and cross-checks the newer one.
Why did Townsend Harris drop to #30?
Its own state data moved. Townsend Harris's Regents standard-score rank slid from #71 (2023) to #145 (2024) to #121 of 1,234 schools — and state outcomes are 50% of this composite. It still ranks #30 on elite secondary rankings and a 100% graduation rate, but we do not let reputation override the metric that carries half the formula.
Why isn't Mamaroneck High School ranked?
It was cut on the numbers, not on verification — the school is real and open. Its Regents-based state ranking is #142 of 1,234 schools, below the cut line once state outcomes carry 50% of the score, whatever its review-site grades say. It is the documented first alternate for this list.
More rankings
Get the next ranking first. One email per list — the Top 50, the near-misses, and what we cut.
or subscribe at fiftyfolio.beehiiv.com