U.S. News 2021 High School Rankings: 8 In New Jersey In Top 100

NEW JERSEY — High school students in the Garden State have had an unprecedented form of education due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Despite the alternative learning methods being implemented, U.S. News & World Report has kept up its rankings, finding eight schools in New Jersey among the top 100 in the nation.

U.S. News and World Report also released a list on Tuesday that ranks the top high schools in New Jersey. This year's list ranks more than 17,800 public high schools across the nation (see the New Jersey lists, including the top 100 in the state, below).

The purpose of the rankings is to provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups, showing how well schools are supporting these students, Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a news release.

Families can also use the rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state and local level on factors such as graduation rates and college readiness, Narayan said.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, was ranked No. 1 in the nation, as well as among magnet schools.

Here are the top New Jersey schools that placed in the top 100 in this year’s national Best High Schools ranking:

• (#27) Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, Edison
• (#53) High Technology High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Lincroft
• (#54) Bergen County Academies, Bergen County Vocational Technical School District, Hackensack
• (#61) Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, Woodbridge
• (#73) Dr. Ronald E McNair High School, Jersey City Public Schools, Jersey City
• (#83) Union County Magnet High School, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
• (#91) Biotechnology High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Freehold
• (#92) Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro, Bergen County Vocational Technical School District, Teterboro

Here are the top 10 schools in this year’s national Best High Schools ranking:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - Alexandria, Virginia
2. Academic Magnet High School - North Charleston, South Carolina
3. The Davidson Academy of Nevada - Reno, Nevada
4. Payton College Preparatory High School - Chicago, Illinois
5. School for Advanced Studies - Miami, Florida
6. Sumner Academy of Arts and Science - Kansas City, Kansas
7. Merrol Hyde Magnet School - Hendersonville, Tennessee
8. BASIS Chandler - Chandler, Arizona
9. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology - Lawrenceville, Georgia
10. Signature School - Evansville, Indiana

The methodology used for this year’s ranking focused on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates.

The data used in this edition is from the 2018-2019 academic school year and, therefore, was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about the Best High Schools methodology.

In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News also published rankings at the state, metro area and school district levels. Only metro areas and school districts with three or more high schools were included in these sub-rankings.

BASIS Chandler in Arizona is at the top of the list for charter schools, and High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey, is the No. 1 STEM school.

Here are the top 50 high schools in New Jersey, according to U.S. News:

1. Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, Edison
2. High Technology High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Lincroft
3. Bergen County Academies, Bergen County Vocational Technical School District, Hackensack
4. Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, Woodbridge
5. Dr. Ronald E McNair High School, Jersey City Public Schools, Jersey City
6. Union County Magnet High School, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
7. Biotechnology High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Freehold
8. Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro, Bergen County Vocational Technical School District, Teterboro
9. Academy for Information Technology, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
10. Academy for Allied Health Sciences, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
11. Infinity Institute, Jersey City Public Schools, Jersey City
12. Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Highlands
13. Elizabeth High School, Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth
14. Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge Public School District, Glen Ridge
15. Millburn High School, Millburn Township School District, Millburn
16. Livingston High School, Livingston Board of Education School District, Livingston
17. Summit Senior High School, Summit Public School District, Summit
18. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, Plainsboro
19. Academy of Allied Health and Science, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Neptune
20. Science Park High School, Newark Public School District, Newark
21. Tenafly High School, Tenafly Public School District, Tenafly
22. Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest, Northern Valley Regional High School District, Demarest
23. Chatham High School, School District of The Chathams, Chatham
24. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, West Windsor
25. Ridge High School, Bernards Township School District, Basking Ridge
26. Norther Valley Reg Old Tappen High Schoo, Northern Valley Regional High School District, Old Tappan
27. Montgomery High School, Montgomery Township School District, Skillman
28. Princeton High School, Princeton Public Schools, Princeton
29. Northern Highlands Regional High School, Northern Highlands Regional High School District, Allendale
30. New Providence High School, New Providence School District, New Providence
31. Communications High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Wall
32. Pascack Hills High School, Pascack Valley Regional High School District, Montvale
33. Central Jersey College Prep Charter School, Central Jersey College Prep Charter School, Somerset
34. Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes Public School District, Mountain Lakes
35. Technology High School, Newark Public School District, Newark
36. Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood Public School District, Ridgewood
37. John P. Stevens High School, Edison Township School District, Edison
38. Madison High School, Madison Public School District, Madison
39. Haddonfield Memorial High School, Haddonfield School District, Haddonfield
40. Cresskill High School, Cresskill Public School District, Cresskill
41. Westfield Senior High School, Westfield Public School District, Westfield
42. Ramapo High School, Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, Franklin Lakes
43. Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School District, Rumson
44. Glen Rock High School, Glen Rock Public School District, Glen Rock
45. West Morris Mendham High School, West Morris Regional High School District, Mendham
46. Mahwah High, Mahwah Township Public School District, Mahwah
47. Kinnelon High School, Kinnelon School District, Kinnelon
48. Columbia High School, South Orange-Maplewood School District, Maplewood
49. Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy, Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth
50. Whippany Park High School, Hanover Park Regional High School District, Whippany
51. Bernards High School, Somerset Hills Regional School District, Bernardsville
52. Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill School District, Cherry Hill
53. Bergenfield High School, Bergenfield Borough School District, Bergenfield
54. Moorestown High School, Moorestown Township Public School District, Moorestown
55. Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn Public School District, Fair Lawn
56. Leonia High School, Leonia Public School District, Leonia
57. Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Hunterdon Central Regional High School District, Flemington
58. Midland Park Jr./Sr. High School, Midland Park School District, Midland Park
59. East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick Township School District, E Brunswick
60. High Tech High School, Hudson County Schools of Technology School District, Secaucus
61. Park Ridge High School, Park Ridge School District, Park Ridge
62. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District, Scotch Plains
63. West Essex High School, West Essex Regional School District, North Caldwell
64. River Dell Regional High School, River Dell Regional School District, Oradell
65. Indian Hills High School, Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, Oakland
66. Ramsey High School, Ramsey School District, Ramsey
67. Liberty High School, Jersey City Public Schools, Jersey City
68. Metuchen High School, Metuchen Public School District, Metuchen
69. Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, Bridgewater
70. Montville Township High School, Montville Township School District, Montville
71. Marlboro High School, Freehold Regional High School District, Marlboro
72. West Morris Central High School, West Morris Regional High School District, Chester
73. Morris Hills High School, Morris Hills Regional School District, Rockaway
74. Holmdel High School, Holmdel Township School District, Holmdel
75. Pequannock Township High School, Pequannock Township School District, Pompton Plains
76. South Brunswick High School, South Brunswick School District, Monmouth Junction
77. Randolph High School, Randolph Township School District, Randolph
78. Montclair High School, Montclair Public School District, Montclair
79. Verona High School, Verona Public School District, Verona
80. Robbinsville High School, Robbinsville Public Schools, Robbinsville
81. Cranford High School, Cranford Public School District, Cranford
82. Highland Park High School, Highland Park Boro School District, Highland Park
83. North Hunterdon High School, North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District, Annandale
84. Watchung Hills Regional High School, Watchung Hills Regional High School District, Warren
85. Academy for Mathematics Science and Engineering, Morris County Vocational School District, Rockaway
86. Bergen Arts and Sciences Charter School, Bergen Arts and Science Charter School, Garfield
87. Morris County School of Technology, Morris County Vocational School District, Denville
88. Parsippany Hills High School, Parsippany-Troy Hills Township School District, Morris Plains
89. Morris Knolls High School, Morris Hills Regional School District, Denville
90. Dumont High School, Dumont Public School District, Dumont
91. Colts Neck High School, Freehold Regional High School District, Colts Neck
92. Hopewell Valley Central High School, Hopewell Valley Regional School District, Pennington
93. Cinnaminson High School, Cinnaminson Township Public Schools, Cinnaminson
94. Governor Livingston High School, Berkeley Heights School District, Berkeley Heights
95. Wayne Valley High School, Wayne Township Public School District, Wayne
96. East Orange STEM Academy High School, East Orange School District, East Orange
97. Sparta High School, Sparta Township Public School District, Sparta
98. Hillsborough High School, Hillsborough Township Public School District, Hillsborough
99. Dover High School, Dover Public School District, Dover
100. Mount Olive High School, Mount Olive Township School District, Flanders