Education

Here are the best public high schools in the Boston area, according to Boston magazine

Weston High School topped the list for the second consecutive year.

A Weston High School swim practice. Matthew J. Lee / The Boston Globe

By Chloe Courtney Bohl

2 minutes to read

Boston magazine just released its annual list of the best public high schools in the Greater Boston area, evaluating 150 schools in the I-495 corridor.

Massachusetts consistently ranks among the top states for public education, coming in at No. 1 in a 2023 WalletHub analysis of U.S. Department of Education data. So it’s safe to say that these schools are some of the best not just in the state, but nationally.

The magazine ranked the schools based on several criteria including average class size, student-to-teacher ratio, standardized test scores, graduation rate, and educator evaluations. 

Weston High School, which topped the list for the second consecutive year, had an average class size of 13.4, a student-to teacher-ratio of 11.3:1, 82.5% Advanced Placement testing proficiency, and a 96.9% graduation rate. One-hundred percent of its teachers were deemed “proficient” or “excellent” in their evaluations.

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In compiling the list, Boston used the latest data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, omitting charter schools and “highly specialized” public high schools. 

Here are the top 10 public high schools in Greater Boston, according to Boston magazine:

  1. Weston High School
  2. Manchester Essex Regional High School
  3. Dover-Sherborn High School
  4. Wayland High School
  5. Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
  6. Littleton High School
  7. Westborough High School
  8. The Bromfield School
  9. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
  10. Winchester High School

Along with the performance statistics used to rank the schools, Boston also shared the median income and home price for the municipality(ies) each school serves. Unsurprisingly, the top 20 public high schools are located in high-income areas with deep-pocketed taxpayers. In Weston — home to No. 1 Weston High School — the median income was $220,815 and the median home price was $2.4 million in 2023. Among the top 20 schools, 11 had median home prices above $1 million.

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Boston also shared an alphabetized “Bang for Your Housing Buck” list of highly-rated high schools in relatively more affordable neighborhoods, where the median home price was $735,000 or less:

  • Algonquin Regional High School (which ranked #18 overall)
  • Boston Latin School (#25 overall)
  • Foxborough High School (#38 overall)
  • Littleton High School (#6 overall)
  • Mansfield High School (#27 overall)
  • Maynard High School (#45 overall)
  • Middleborough High School (#85 overall)
  • Millis High School (#24 overall)
  • Nashoba Regional High School (#23 overall)
  • Norton High School (#72 overall)
  • Westborough High School (#7 overall)

The magazine also compiled “Honor Roll” lists of schools that rated especially well on average class size, student-to-teacher ratio, and more. Take a look at the complete rankings here.

Boston magazine isn’t the only authority on Greater Boston high schools. U.S. News and World Report also just released its updated rankings for the 2023-2024 school year. Among public high schools in the Boston metro area, it found Boston Latin School was the best (Weston High School took seventh place). Every ranking service has a different set of criteria and weighting scheme, but the two reports listed many of the same schools among their top 10.

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