20 Best Public High Schools in New York State – 2024 (2024)

From challenging academic programs to exceptional extracurricular activities, the best public schools in New York provide students with the foundation they need to succeed. Whether you’re a parent looking to secure the best education for your child or a student seeking the ideal environment to foster your academic and personal growth, this list will help you navigate the best public high schools in New York state.

1) Bronx High School of Science (Specialized)

Nine graduates from Bronx High School of Science have won Nobel prizes, seven of which were in physics. This means they’ve educated more Nobel laureates than any other secondary school in the entire world. Additionally, another nine graduates have earned Pulitzers. But it’s important to note that this is a public specialized high school. So to get in, students must earn a top score on the Specialized High School Admissions test. And competition is intense. Bronx Science’s acceptance rate is 3%. To put that into perspective, Harvard University’s acceptance rate is 3.2%.

• Enrollment: 2,951
• Student/teacher ratio: 20:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Bronx High School of Science regularly go on to attend Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, University of Chicago, Columbia, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, California Institute of Technology, and Cornell, as well as many other top universities.

2) Townsend Harris High School

Townsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school nestled in Queens. Every year, over 15,400 middle school students compete for 270 spots at Townsend Harris. From that pool, the top students are admitted based on their grades, standardized test scores, and attendance records.

• Enrollment: 1,322
• Student/teacher ratio: 15:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Townsend Harris High School regularly go on to attend Harvard, Princeton, Brown University, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Boston University, and other prestigious institutions.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

3) Stuyvesant High School (Specialized)

Perched beside the Hudson River in lower Manhattan, Stuyvesant High School has an impressive alumni roster which includes four Nobel laureates. It’s also another public specialized high school with a 2.7% acceptance rate.

• Enrollment: 3,334
• Student/teacher ratio: 20:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Stuyvesant High School regularly go on to attend Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, California Institute of Technology, Brown University, University of Chicago, Cornell, Duke, and Georgetown, as well as many other top universities.

4) Brooklyn Latin School (Specialized)

Brooklyn Latin School offers a classical education which includes Latin and Greek studies. This means classes are led with an emphasis on public speaking, structured writing, and analytical thinking. Additionally, it’s the only specialized public high school in NYC that implements an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

• Enrollment: 800
• Student/teacher ratio: 17:1
• Graduation rate: 100%

College admissions highlights: Students from Brooklyn Latin School have gone to attend Cornell, NYU, University of Chicago, Boston University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins University, among other prestigious universities.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

5) Scarsdale Senior High School

Another in Westchester County, Scarsdale Senior High School has an impressive student-to-teacher ratio. Also, they’ve had a long history of paying their teachers a high salary, which ultimately results in higher student success.

• Enrollment: 4,676
• Student/teacher ratio: 10:1
• Graduation rate: 98%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Scarsdale Senior High School have gone on to attend Stanford, Cornell, University of Chicago, Colgate University, University of Pennsylvania, NYU, University of Michigan, and Washington University in St. Louis, among others.

6) Staten Island Technical School (Specialized)

The curriculum at Staten Island Technical School is college preparatory, with an emphasis on science, math, and engineering. Their robotics team regularly advances to the semi-finals of the FIRST Robotics Competition. But they’re also well rounded, offering over 80 extracurriculars for students to choose from, including a strong theater program. So students can hone their technical skills and their creative side, including alumna and singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson.

• Enrollment: 1,374
• Student/teacher ratio: 19:1
• Graduation rate: 100%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended Staten Island Technical School have gone on to attend Harvard, Princeton, Brown University, MIT, NYU, Cornell, Columbia, Boston University, Yale, Duke, Dartmouth, and beyond.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

7) High School of American Studies at Lehman College (Specialized)

Located in the Bronx, the High School of American Studies at Lehman College provides students with a rigorous education that focuses on American history. However, because this is a specialized high school with an exceptionally low enrollment count, their acceptance rate is only about .03%.

• Enrollment: 399
• Student/teacher ratio: 14:1
• Graduation rate: 100%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended High School of American Studies have gone on to NYU, Columbia, Boston University, Brown University, Georgetown University, Yale, and other top institutions.

8) High School for Math, Science, and Engineering at the City College of NY (Specialized)

High School for Math, Science, and Engineering offers a rigorous STEM curriculum, which also values knowledge and civic responsibility. Additionally, because the founders believe that German is the language of engineering, the school has an extensive German program. They’re even among only 18 US schools that regularly send their students on study trips to Germany with the Goethe Institute.

• Enrollment: 555
• Student/teacher ratio: 16:1
• Graduation rate: 100%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended this high school have gone on to Harvard, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, Georgetown, Brown University, Stanford, as well as other prestigious institutions.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

9) Bard High School Early College Queens

Students at Bard High School Early College have a rare opportunity to graduate with both a high school diploma and an Associate in Arts degree. Students complete their high school studies in the first two years. Then for their last two years, they remain at the same campus to take college credit courses with the teachers they’re already familiar with.

• Enrollment: 671
• Student/teacher ratio: 12:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended Bard High School Early College Queens have gone on to NYU, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, Brown University, Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford, Yale, among others.

10) Queens High School for the Sciences at York College (Specialized)

Queens High School for the Sciences offers a college preparatory curriculum which focuses on math and science. Additionally, this school is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology AKA NCSSS. This means that NCSSS serves as a resource for Queens HS for the Sciences to advance their STEM programs.

• Enrollment: 529
• Student/teacher ratio: 16:1
• Graduation rate: 100%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended Queens High School for the Sciences have gone on to Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, MIT, and Yale, among other prestigious institutions.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

11) Columbia Secondary School

Columbia Secondary School formed through a partnership between the NYC department of education, the community, and Columbia University. Its rigorous curriculum focuses on STEM subjects. To earn their diploma, students must complete 63 academic credits instead of the state’s required 44 credits, at least one Columbia University course, and 150 hours of community service.

• Enrollment: 690
• Student/teacher ratio: 12:1
• Graduation rate: 100%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Columbia Secondary School have gone on to attend Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, The Juilliard School, NYU, Yale, Vanderbilt, Brown University, as well as other impressive institutions.

12) Bronxville High School

Just outside the city in Westchester County, Bronxville High School has a strong music program to complement their excellent curriculum. Every year, their middle and high school bands compete in New York State School Music Association competitions, and have won gold several times.

• Enrollment: 1,566
• Student/teacher ratio: 13:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Bronxville High School have gone on to attend Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Princeton, Vanderbilt, Yale, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, and beyond.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

13) Beacon High School

Beacon High School, sometimes referred to as “The Beacon School” is a college preparatory school in Manhattan. It’s also a part of the New York Performance Standards Consortium. This means that because their curriculum surpasses New York Regents’ standards, their students are exempt from taking the Regents exams. As an alternative, they showcase performance-based projects to their teachers.

• Enrollment: 1,449
• Student/teacher ratio: 16:1
• Graduation rate: 98%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Beacon High School have gone on to attend Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Cornell, The Juilliard School, Duke, Vanderbilt, NYU, Stanford, Princeton, and Georgetown, among other prestigious institutions.

14) Brooklyn Technical High School (Specialized)

A rare opportunity in American high schools, students at Brooklyn Technical High School get to choose a major. There are 18 majors to choose from, some examples of which are Neuroscience, Industrial Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Media Communications, Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, and Environmental Science. Additionally, students get to choose between over 100 extracurricular organizations to participate in.

• Enrollment: 5,940
• Student/teacher ratio: 21:1
• Graduation rate: 97%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended BTHS have gone on to attend Harvard, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, NYU, and other top universities.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

15) Syosset Senior High School

Syosset Senior High School is fantastic for creative students. In 2002, its district was honored by the Kennedy Center for its excellence in arts education. Then in 2006, Syosset High School was declared a Grammy Signature School for their excellent music program. Additionally, Syosset boasts a long list of successful creative alumni including Natalie Portman, Judd Apatow, and Idina Menzel.

• Enrollment: 2,265
• Student/teacher ratio: 10:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended Syosset Senior High School have gone on to Princeton, Duke, Colgate University, Tufts, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, University of Michigan, Yale, and Harvard, among others.

16) Eleanor Roosevelt High School

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Eleanor Roosevelt High School offers an intensive college preparatory curriculum. Also, they offer a wide variety of clubs including Knitting for Need, Model UN, Girls Who Code, Animal Welfare Club, STEM Club, Music Production Club, and Law Team.

• Enrollment: 541
• Student/teacher ratio: 15:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Eleanor Roosevelt High School have gone on to attend Harvard, Yale, Brown, Duke, Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, MIT, NYU, as well as other prestigious universities.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

17) New Explorations in Science, Technology, & Math School

And on the Lower East Side, NEST+m is the only school in Manhattan that teaches grades K-12. They pride themselves on nurturing and challenging each student’s gifts, as well as encouraging students to engage with the world around them. For example, high school students are required to complete 60 hours of community service.

• Enrollment: 1,610
• Student/teacher ratio: 16:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended NEST+m have gone on to Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Brown University, Tulane University, University of Michigan, NYU, and the University of Pennsylvania, among other top institutions.

18) Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (Specialized)

LaGuardia High School is the only specialized high school in NYC that doesn’t base their admission decisions off of student SHSAT scores. And it’s the only specialized high school that emphasizes visual and performing arts. LaGuardia has produced so many stars in a variety of creative disciplines that they have an entire Wikipedia page for their notable alumni.

• Enrollment: 2,378
• Student/teacher ratio: 15:1
• Graduation rate: 99%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended LaGuardia High School have gone on to The Juilliard School, Columbia, Brown University, Princeton, NYU, Barnard College, UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, as well as other prestigious universities.

Best Public High Schools in New York State (Continued)

19) Jericho High School

On Long Island, Jericho High School offers a rigorous curriculum that helps their students become Regeneron Scholars. And in 2023, their theater program was selected by Disney to stage a production of “Frozen.” This is one of the best public high schools in New York, and I just can’t let it go.

• Enrollment: 1,257
• Student/teacher ratio: 11:1
• Graduation rate: 98%
• College admissions highlights: Students who attended Jericho High School have gone on to Harvard, MIT, Cornell, Princeton, Columbia, Brown University, NYU, Stanford, Yale, among other top universities.

20) William A. Shine Great Neck South High School

Finally, William A. Shine Great Neck South High School is home to one of the last remaining parts of the Long Island Motorway. This was one of the first roads built specifically for automobiles and now it runs through Great Neck’s campus.

• Enrollment: 1,263
• Student/teacher ratio: 11:1
• Graduation rate: 97%
• College admissions highlights: Students from Great Neck South High School have gone on to attend MIT, NYU, Brown University, Columbia, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Yale, Duke, University of Pennsylvania, as well as other prestigious institutions.

Best Public Schools in New York – Final Thoughts

By choosing one of the best public high schools in New York, students can set themselves on a path toward success and achievement. If you’re dreaming of attending one of NYC’s specialized high schools but didn’t quite score high enough on the SHSAT, you may be eligible for the Discovery Program. Alternatively, if you’ve scoured the best public schools in New York State and you don’t care for what you see, try the best public schools in NYC or even the best private schools in NYC. You’re bound to find the right school for you.

Best Public Schools in New York – Additional Resources

• 17 Best Performing Arts High Schools in the US
• 20 Best High Schools in North Carolina
• 20 Best Public High Schools in Texas
• Best High Schools in Florida
• 10 Best Online High Schools
• 20 Best Public High Schools in Illinois
• 20 Best Public High Schools in Maryland

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