Best public high schools in New York

Stacker compiled a list of the best private high schools in Massachusetts using rankings from Niche. (LightField Studios // Shutterstock/LightField Studios // Shutterstock)
By Stacker

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 New York 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.

A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear. (Stacker/Stacker)

Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock

#30. Edgemont Junior/Senior High School

- Location: Edgemont Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 956 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test. (Stacker/Stacker)

Achira22 // Shutterstock

#29. Rye High School

- Location: Rye City School District, NY

- Enrollment: 933 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A student talking to a teacher in the hallway. (Stacker/Stacker)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#28. Baccalaureate School for Global Education

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 30, NY

- Enrollment: 530 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down. (Stacker/Stacker)

LightField Studios // Shutterstock

#27. John F. Kennedy High School

- Location: Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,024 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera. (Stacker/Stacker)

Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#26. Wheatley School

- Location: East Williston Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 696 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A high school student doing a chemical experiment. (Stacker/Stacker)

LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#25. Herricks High School

- Location: Herricks Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,360 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper. (Stacker/Stacker)

panitanphoto // Shutterstock

#24. Great Neck North High School

- Location: Great Neck Public Schools, NY

- Enrollment: 1,195 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A student raising their hand in class. (Stacker/Stacker)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#23. Williamsville East High School

- Location: Williamsville Central School District, NY

- Enrollment: 962 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

An empty school hallway lined with red lockers. (Stacker/Stacker)

ImageFlow // Shutterstock

#22. Brooklyn Latin School

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 14, NY

- Enrollment: 844 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard. (Stacker/Stacker)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#21. New Explorations into Science, Technology & Math School

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 1, NY

- Enrollment: 1,639 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A row of empty desks with notebooks and pencils on them. (Stacker/Stacker)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

#20. Eleanor Roosevelt High School

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 2, NY

- Enrollment: 537 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A hallway lined with green lockers. (Stacker/Stacker)

SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock

#19. Bronxville High School

- Location: Bronxville Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 528 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A side view of a person using a laptop in the school library. (Stacker/Stacker)

sirtravelalot // Shutterstock

#18. Horace Greeley High School

- Location: Chappaqua Central School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,135 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

An empty classroom as viewed from the back. (Stacker/Stacker)

maroke // Shutterstock

#17. George W. Hewlett High School

- Location: Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 991 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table. (Stacker/Stacker)

Studio KIWI // Shutterstock

#16. Half Hollow Hills High School East

- Location: Half Hollow Hills Central School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,547 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera. (Stacker/Stacker)

GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#15. Roslyn High School

- Location: Roslyn Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,056 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables. (Stacker/Stacker)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#14. Brooklyn Technical High School

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 13, NY

- Enrollment: 5,966 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Students using microscopes in science class. (Stacker/Stacker)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#13. Bard High School Early College

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 1, NY

- Enrollment: 614 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

High school students studying and reading together in their school library. (Stacker/Stacker)

Joyseulay // Shutterstock

#12. Syosset Senior High School

- Location: Syosset Central School District, NY

- Enrollment: 2,237 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Students raising their hands for class participation. (Stacker/Stacker)

LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#11. Jericho Senior High School

- Location: Jericho Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,205 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook. (Stacker/Stacker)

Canva

#10. Great Neck South High School

- Location: Great Neck Public Schools, NY

- Enrollment: 1,222 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Two students sharing a book. (Stacker/Stacker)

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#9. High School Math Science & Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY)

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 5, NY

- Enrollment: 524 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A high school student doing classwork on their laptop. (Stacker/Stacker)

Canva

#8. Bard High School Early College Queens

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 24, NY

- Enrollment: 675 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk. (Stacker/Stacker)

Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock

#7. Half Hollow Hills High School West

- Location: Half Hollow Hills Central School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,035 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor. (Stacker/Stacker)

LBeddoe // Shutterstock

#6. High School of American Studies at Lehman College

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 10, NY

- Enrollment: 408 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Bookshelves at a high school's library. (Stacker/Stacker)

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#5. Scarsdale Senior High School

- Location: Scarsdale Union Free School District, NY

- Enrollment: 1,471 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A stack of spiral noteboooks in front of a wooden background. (Stacker/Stacker)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

#4. Stuyvesant High School

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 2, NY

- Enrollment: 3,304 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Two rows of red lockers. (Stacker/Stacker)

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#3. Townsend Harris High School

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 25, NY

- Enrollment: 1,347 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

Empty desks in a high school classroom. (Stacker/Stacker)

Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock

#2. Bronx High School of Science

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 10, NY

- Enrollment: 2,985 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)

- Niche grade: Grade A+

A closeup of a student taking notes in class. (Stacker/Stacker)

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#1. Staten Island Technical High School

- Location: New York City Geographic District No. 31, NY

- Enrollment: 1,355 (19:1 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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