EDUCATION
4 of the top 10 high schools in Ohio are in Cincinnati, per U.S. News
Grace TuckerChad MurphyCincinnati Enquirer
Aug. 18, 2026, 12:01 a.m. ET
For the third consecutive year, Walnut Hills High School is named the best high school in Ohio, per the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report
The publication released its 2026-2027 Best High Schools ranking Tuesday, Aug. 18, evaluating around 27,000 eligible schools around the state and ranking nearly 18,000 of them
Nationally, Ohio ranks around the middle of the pack in U.S. News’ breakdown by state at No. 22, behind Kentucky (No. 21) and ahead of Illinois (No. 23)
“The 2026-2027 Best High Schools rankings empower families with the valuable data and transparency they need to help make the best educational choices for them” LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for education at U.S. News, said in a statement. “We are proud to offer this essential re”
Each year, U.S. News News & World Report gathers data from a handful of third-partya, statewide mathematics and reading assessment data and Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam data to assess schools’ academic outcomes
It uses those numbers in measuring the six variables that determine rank, including college readiness and state assessment performance and proficiency – given the greatest weight at 30% and 20%, respectively
4 of the top 10 schools in Ohio are in Cincinnati
Ranked No. 1 in Ohio, Walnut Hills High School came in at No. 76 nationally, up from 91 last year
And three other Cincinnati-area districts had their high schools rank in the top 10 statewide: Madeira City, Mairemont City and Indian Hill Exempted Village
- Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati Public Schools: No. 76 in the nation, up from 91 last year.
- Madeira High School, Madeira City, Cincinnati: No. 165, up from 311.
- Chagrin Falls High School, Chagrin Falls Exempted Village: No. 200, up from 664.
- Mariemont High School, Mariemont City, Cincinnati: No. 207, up from 359.
- Rocky River High School, Rocky River City: No. 228, down from 187.
- Solon High School, Solon City: No. 237, down from 174.
- Oakwood High School, Oakwood City, Dayton: No. 259, up from 338.
- Bexley High School, Bexley City: No 256, down from 152.
- Hudson High School, Hudson City: No. 310, up from 296.
- Indian Hill High School, Indian Hill Exempted Village, Cincinnati: No. 351, down from 222.
How U.S. News calcluated the 2026-2027 Best High School rankings
In coordination with North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm, U.S. News created its ranking by scoring schools across six indicators of quality, then computing a single zero to 100 score reflective of a school’s performance across those metrics
For transparency, each public school’s directory page includes indicator ranks that explain how it performed nationally and within its state
Here are the six school quality indicators and how they’re weighted:
- College readiness (30%).
- College curriculum breadth (10%).
- State assessment proficiency (20%).
- State assessment performance (20%).
- Underserved student performance (10%).
- Graduation rate (10%).
