Massachusetts is consistently ranked among the top states for good education but what are considered the best public schools in the state?
U.S. News and World Report released its 2020 list of best high schools in the nation. U.S. News reviewed more than 24,000 public high schools, weighing six indicators of school quality for the 2016-2017 school year. Those factors include college readiness, math and reading proficiency, graduation rates and performance of underserved students “based on how black, Hispanic and low-income students performed on state assessments compared with those who are not underserved in the state.”
Massachusetts isn’t home to the top school - that honor went to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia - but commonwealth schools did well overall.
Half of Massachusetts’ high schools are in the top quarter of the national rankings – the highest proportion of any state.
See the U.S. News’ picks for top schools in Massachusetts below.
50. Holliston High School
Holliston is ranked 1,206th nationally.
Location: Holliston
Graduation rate: 97 percent
College readiness rating: 54.7 / 100
Enrollment: 794 students
49. Masconomet Regional High School
Masconomet Regional is ranked 1,185th nationally.
Location: Boxford
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 43.8 / 100
Enrollment: 1,143 students
48. Tantasqua Regional High School
Tantasqua Regional is ranked 1,181st nationally.
Location: Fiskdale
Graduation rate: 100 percent
College readiness rating: 51.8 / 100
Enrollment: 720 students
47. Longmeadow High School
Longmeadow is ranked 1,149th nationally.
Location: Longmeadow
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 56 / 100
Enrollment: 957 students
46. Newburyport High School
Newburyport High is ranked 1,143rd nationally.
Location: Newburyport
Graduation rate: 97 percent
College readiness rating: 58.2 / 100
Enrollment: 766 students
45. KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School
KIPP Academy is ranked 1,142nd nationally.
Location: Lynn
Graduation rate: 91 percent
College readiness rating: 55.1 / 100
Enrollment: 483 students
44. Newton North High School
Newton North High is ranked 1,135th nationally.
Location: Newtonville
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 56.7 / 100
Enrollment: 2,121 students
43. Abby Kelley Foster Charter
Abby Kelley is ranked 1,085th nationally.
Location: Worcester
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 56.9 / 100
Enrollment: 364 students
42. Scituate High School
Scituate High is ranked 1,083 nationally.
Location: Scituate
Graduation rate: 94 percent
College readiness rating: 53.5 / 100
Enrollment: 921 students
41. Concord-Carlisle Regional High School
Concord-Carlisle Regional is ranked 1,069 nationally.
Location: Concord
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 54.1 / 100
Enrollment: 1,273 students
40. Pioneer Charter School of Science
Pioneer Charter School of Science is ranked 1,060 nationally.
Location: Everett
Graduation rate: 94 percent
College readiness rating: 39.4 / 100
Enrollment: 198 students
39. Foxborough Regional Charter
Foxborough High is ranked 1,053rd nationally.
Location: Foxborough
Graduation rate: 95 percent
College readiness rating: 67.1 / 100
Enrollment: 280 students
38. Pioneer Charter School of Science 2
Pioneer Charter School of Science is ranked 1,018th nationally.
Location: Saugus
College readiness rating: 47.5 / 100
Enrollment: 203 students
37. Cohasset Middle/High School
Cohasset is ranked 1,014th nationally.
Location: Cohasset
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 62 / 100
Enrollment: 469 students
36. Nashoba Regional High School
Nashoba Regional is ranked 970th nationally.
Location: Bolton
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 63.2 / 100
Enrollment: 976 students
35. Ashland High School
Ashland is ranked 962nd nationally.
Location: Ashland
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 48.2 / 100
Enrollment: 769 students
34. Needham High School
Needham High is ranked 924th nationally.
Location: Needham
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 57.8 / 100
Enrollment: 1,686 students
33. Westborough High School
Westborough High is ranked 922 nationally.
Location: Westborough
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 56.3 / 100
Enrollment: 1,131 students
32. Lenox Memorial High School
Lenox Memorial High is ranked 906th nationally.
Location: Lenox
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 58.3 / 100
Enrollment: 245 students
31. Duxbury High School
Duxbury High is ranked 904th nationally.
Location: Duxbury
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 59.7 / 100
Enrollment: 1,053 students
30. Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School
Hamilton-Wenham is ranked 887th nationally.
Location: South Hamilton
Graduation rate: 96 percent
College readiness rating: 57.9 / 100
Enrollment: 560 students
29. Boston Collegiate Charter School
Boston Collegiate Charter is ranked 856th nationally.
Location: Dorchester
Graduation rate: 97 percent
College readiness rating: 59.2 / 100
Enrollment: 313 students
28. Wellesley High School
Wellesley High is ranked 825th nationally.
Location: Wellesley
Graduation rate: 100 percent
College readiness rating: 55.3 / 100
Enrollment: 1,569 students
27. Groton-Dunstable Regional High School
Groton-Dunstable is ranked 821st nationally.
Location: Groton
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 54.5 / 100
Enrollment: 785 students
26. Wayland High School
Wayland High is ranked 777th nationally.
Location: Wayland
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 64.1 / 100
Enrollment: 856 students
25. Brookline High School
Brookline High is ranked 700th nationally.
Location: Brookline
Graduation rate: 96 percent
College readiness rating: 64 / 100
Enrollment: 2,044 students
24. Nauset Regional High School
Nauset Regional High is ranked 692nd nationally.
Location: North Eastham
Graduation rate: 93 percent
College readiness rating: 58.1 / 100
Enrollment: 907 students
23. Arlington High School
Arlington High is ranked 678th nationally.
Location: Arlington
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 65.1 / 100
Enrollment: 1m325 students
22. Westwood High School
Westwood High is ranked 668th nationally.
Location: Westwood
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 59.3 / 100
Enrollment: 999 students
21. Winchester High School
Winchester High is ranked 665th nationally.
Location: Winchester
Graduation rate: 96 percent
College readiness rating: 56.7 / 100
Enrollment: 1,351 students
20. Newton South High School
Newton South High is ranked 664th nationally.
Location: Newton Centre
Graduation rate: 97 percent
College readiness rating: 61.3 / 100
Enrollment: 1,892 students
19. Sharon High School
Sharon High is ranked 648th nationally.
Location: Sharon
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 63.5 / 100
Enrollment: 1,079 students
18. Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Acton-Boxborough is ranked 593rd nationally.
Location: Acton
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 55.9 / 100
Enrollment: 1,827 students
17. The Bromfield School
The Bromfield School is ranked 568th nationally.
Location: Harvard
Graduation rate: 100 percent
College readiness rating: 63.9 / 100
Enrollment: 402 students
16. Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School
The charter is ranked 562nd nationally.
Location: Adams
Graduation rate: 97 percent
College readiness rating: 61.3 / 100
Enrollment: 151 students
15. Westford Academy
Westford Academy is ranked 507th nationally.
Location: Westford
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 61 / 100
Enrollment: 1,711 students
14. Medfield High School
Medfield High is ranked 490th nationally.
Location: Medfield
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 70.1 / 100
Enrollment: 828 students
13. Manchester Essex Regional High School
Manchester Essex is ranked 469th nationally.
Location: Manchester
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 70.4 / 100
Enrollment: 443 students
12. Boston Latin Academy
Boston Latin Academy is ranked 467th nationally.
Location: Dorchester
Graduation rate: 97 percent
College readiness rating: 62.4 / 100
Enrollment: 1,224 students
11. Lynnfield High School
Lynnfield High is ranked 464th nationally.
Location: Lynnfield
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 60.8 / 100
Enrollment: 648 students
10. John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science
The school is ranked 421st nationally.
Location: Roxbury
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 53.9 / 100
Enrollment: 1,223 students
9. Belmont High School
Belmont is ranked 375th nationally.
Location: Belmont
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 70.8 / 100
Enrollment: 1,294 students
8. Weston High School
Weston High is ranked 343rd nationally.
Location: Weston
Graduation rate: 100 percent
College readiness rating: 68.8 / 100
Enrollment: 1,294 students
7. Lexington High School
Lexington High is ranked 285th nationally.
Location: Lexington
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 67.2 / 100
Enrollment: 2,212 students
6. Mystic Valley Regional Charter School
Mystic Valley is ranked 231st nationally.
Location: Malden
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 77 / 100
Enrollment: 365 students
5. Dover-Sherborn Regional High School
Dover-Sherborn is ranked 197th nationally.
Location: Dover
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 75 / 100
Enrollment: 665 students
4. Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School
The charter was ranked 196th nationally.
Location: Marlborough
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 72.6 / 100
Enrollment: 532 students
3. Hopkinton High School
Hopkinton is ranked 190th nationally.
Location: Hopkinton
Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 83.5 / 100
Enrollment: 1,153 students
2. Sturgis Charter Public School
Sturgis Charter ranked 110th nationally.
Location: Hyannis
Graduation rate: 99 percent
College readiness rating: 93.9 / 100
Enrollment: 816 students
1. Boston Latin School
Established in 1635, Boston Latin School is the first public school in the United States. Numerous prominent Americans were educated at the school, including five signers of the Declaration of Independence and eight Massachusetts governors.
The school ranked 37th nationally with an overall score of 99.81/100. About 99 percent of students took at least one Advance Placement course and 94 percent passed at least one AP exam.
Location: Boston
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Graduation rate: 98 percent
College readiness rating: 97.1 / 100
Enrollment: 1,656 students
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