EDUCATION
U.S. News names best high schools in nation. See where Ohio ranks
Chad MurphyUSA TODAY NETWORK
Aug. 18, 2026, 12:01 a.m. ET
- Ohio ranked 22nd in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best High Schools list.
- Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati was named the best high school in Ohio for the third consecutive year.
- The rankings evaluated nearly 27,000 schools based on six factors, including college readiness and graduation rates.
How did Ohio high schools fare in the latest ranking from U.S. News & World Report?
The publication released its 2026-2027 Best High Schools ranking today, Tuesday, Aug. 18, evaluating around 27,000 eligible schools in the nation and ranking nearly 18,000 of them
“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”
So where does Ohio rank? Here’s what to know
Ohio comes in at No. 22 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report 2026-2027 Best High School ranking
Ohio ranks around the middle of the pack in U.S. News’ breakdown by state, based solely on which states have the largest proportion of their high schools in the top 25% of the 2026-2027 Best High Schools rankings
The Buckeye State comes in at No. 22, with 26.5% of its high schools in the top 25% nationally. Ohio ranks behind Kentucky (No. 21) with 26.8% of its high schools in the top 25%, and ahead of Illinois (No. 23), at 26.2%
The top 10 states in the nation in U.S. News & World Report 2026-2027 Best High School ranking
The top 10 states in U.S. News’ ranking are:
- Massachusetts: 46.7% of its high schools in the top 25% nationally
- New Jersey: 44.1%
- Maryland: 42.7%
- Florida: 42.6%
- Connecticut: 42.5%
- California: 38%
- Hawaii: 37.7%
- Rhode Island: 36.8%
- District of Columbia: 36.7%
- Wisconsin: 35.8%
Cincinnati has four of the top 10 schools in Ohio, per U.S. News & World Report 2026-2027 Best High School ranking
For the third year in a row, Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati Public Schools is the best high school in Ohio, per U.S. News
The school came in at No. 76 nationally, up from 91 last year. Three other Cincinnati-area districts had their high schools rank in the top 10:
- 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
The six school quality indicators are:
- College readiness
- College curriculum breadth
- State assessment proficiency
- State assessment performance
- Underserved student performance
- Graduation rate
