U.S. News & World Report just released its 2025-26 best public high schools rankings for the nation, and several schools in Tennessee are high on the list — including three that made the national top 50. All three of the top 50 were magnet schools.
U.S. News considered nearly 24,000 public high schools for this year’s list and ultimately ranked roughly 18,000 of them, according to an Aug. 19 news release. The media company worked with RTI, a nonprofit global social science research firm, to compile the rankings. They considered key factors like college readiness measures, advanced academic offerings, state assessment performance, underserved student support and graduation rates.
“Students and families need data to help them make one of the most important decisions of their academic journey,” U.S. News Managing Editor for Education LaMont Jones said in the release. “Our Best High Schools rankings provide the insights to help them identify schools that will prepare students for college success. Access to information isn’t just helpful — it’s essential for planning a student’s future.”
The top 10 public high schools in Tennessee represent a mixture of traditional, magnet and charter schools across the state’s Middle and East regions. All 10 were also ranked in the top 450 nationwide.
- Central Magnet High School, Murfreesboro (No. 3 nationally)
- Hume-Fogg Magnet High School, Nashville (No. 35 nationally)
- Merrol Hyde Magnet School, Hendersonville (No. 39 nationally)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School, Nashville (No. 93 nationally)
- Brentwood High School, Brentwood (No. 259 nationally)
- L&N STEM Academy, Knoxville (No. 310 nationally)
- Valor Flagship High School, Nashville (No. 366 nationally)
- Chatt High Center for Creative Arts, Chattanooga (No. 374 nationally)
- Ravenwood High School, Brentwood, Tennessee (No. 377 nationally)
- Franklin High School, Franklin, Tennessee (No. 442 nationally)
The three traditional public schools in the top 10 in Tennessee are all located in Williamson County.
Another ranking of the top public high schools in Tennessee by Niche had similar results.
The Niche top 25 were:
- 1.Hume-Fogg High School
- 2. Central Magnet School
- 3. Ravenwood High School
- 4. Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School
- 5. Brentwood High School
- 6. L&N STEM Academy
- 7. Madison Academic Magnet High School
- 8. Farragut High School
- 9. White Station High School
- 10.Collierville High School
- 11.STEM School Chattanooga
- 12.Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts
- 13.Franklin High School
- 14.Chattanooga High School for the Arts & Sciences – Upper School
- 15.Merrol Hyde Magnet School
- 16.Valor Flagship Academy
- 17.Oak Ridge High School
- 18.Nolensville High School
- 19.Dobyns-Bennett High School
- 20.Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State
- 21.Independence High School
- 22.Maryville High School
- 23.Houston High School
- 24.Centennial High School
- 25.Rutherford County Virtual School
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