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Ten Nassau County schools placed among the top 56 in New York state in the new Best High Schools rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.
The 2025-2026 rankings evaluated nearly 24,000 eligible public high schools nationwide, with nearly 18,000 earning a spot on the list. Schools were measured on state exam performance, graduation rates, college readiness and student outcomes, including participation and success in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
“Students and families need data to help them make one of the most important decisions of their academic journey,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for education at U.S. News. “Our Best High Schools rankings provide the insights to help them identify schools that will prepare students for college success.”
Here are the top 10 schools in Nassau County, with their overall state ranking noted in parentheses:
Top 10 in Nassau County
- Jericho (9)
- Garden City (16)
- Great Neck South (21)
- Manhasset (23)
- Wheatley School, Old Westbury (32)
- Syosset (36)
- Herricks (41)
- Roslyn (47)
- Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK (50)
- Great Neck North (56)
Top 10 in New York state
New York City public schools dominated the statewide list, taking eight of the top 10 spots. Nassau County’s Jericho was the only Long Island school to crack the top 10.
- Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
- High School Math Science and Engineering at CCNY
- Stuyvesant High School
- Staten Island Technical High School
- Bronx High School of Science
- High School of American Studies at Lehman College
- Brooklyn Latin School
- Brooklyn Technical High School
- Jericho Senior High School
- Edgemont Junior-Senior High School
National top 10
Here are the nation’s top 10 high schools, according to U.S. News:
- BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
- Signature School (Indiana)
- Central Magnet School (Tennessee)
- Davidson Academy (Nevada)
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virginia)
- Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (New Mexico)
- Hass Hall Bentonville (Arkansas)
- Julia R. Masterman Secondary School (Pennsylvania)
- The School for the Talented and Gifted (Texas)
- Aiken Scholars Academy (South Carolina)
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified Cold Spring Harbor as a high school in Nassau County.
Top photo: Members of Jericho High School’s 2025 graduating class.
