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Suffolk County’s public schools once again ranked among the state’s best, with five local high schools finishing among New York state’s top 50 public high schools, according to Niche’s 2026 Best Schools and Districts Report.
The ranking firm evaluated thousands of schools and districts nationwide based on academics, teachers, college preparation, resources, facilities, diversity, and parent and student reviews to determine the best public school systems in America.
Half Hollow Hills High School West earned the top spot in Suffolk County for 2026, followed closely by its sister school, Half Hollow Hills High School East (In Niche’s ranking of school districts, Half Hollow Hills School District was No. 1 in Suffolk and No. 3 in all of New York).
Ward Melville, Commack and Cold Spring Harbor rounded out the county’s top five public high schools, each recognized for academic excellence and superior college readiness among its graduates.
Other Suffolk schools also performed strongly, including Walt Whitman, Mount Sinai, Elwood–John Glenn, Harborfields and Sayville High School. The full list of the county’s 10 highest-ranked public high schools is shown below.
Suffolk’s top 10
| High School | Overall Niche grade | College Prep | Number of Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Half Hollow Hills West | A+ | A+ | 989 |
| 2. Half Hollow Hills East | A+ | A+ | 1,440 |
| 3. Ward Melville | A+ | A- | 1,492 |
| 4. Commack | A+ | A- | 1,816 |
| 5. Cold Spring Harbor | A+ | A | 719 |
| 6. Elwood – John Glenn | A | A- | 676 |
| 7. Harborfields | A | B+ | 950 |
| 8. Walt Whitman | A | A- | 1,852 |
| 9. Mount Sinai | A | B+ | 763 |
| 10. Sayville | A | B | 850 |
A total of 13 Suffolk high schools — including Smithtown West, Northport and Southampton — landed among the state’s top 100 high schools in the Niche report.
Half Hollow Hills West, at No. 34, was the only Suffolk high school to crack America’s top 100.
Top photo: Half Hollow Hills Central School District
