Ohio's 100 Best High Schools: U.S. News 2021 High School Rankings

OHIO — Buckeye State high school students experienced a year of education unlike any other year in U.S. history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the alternative learning methods being implemented, U.S. News & World Report has kept up its rankings, finding 13 schools in Ohio among the top 500 in the nation.

U.S. News and World Report also released a list on Tuesday that ranks the top high schools in Ohio. This year's list ranks more than 17,800 public high schools across the nation (see the Ohio lists, including the top 100 in the state, below).

The purpose of the rankings is to provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups, showing how well schools are supporting these students, Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a news release.

Families can also use the rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state and local level on factors such as graduation rates and college readiness, Narayan said.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, was ranked No. 1 in the nation, as well as among magnet schools.

Here are the top Ohio schools that placed in the top 500 in this year's national Best High Schools ranking:

• (No. 112) Walnut Hills High, Cincinnati Public Schools
• (No. 122) Ottawa Hills High, Ottawa Hills Local
• (No. 124) Wyoming High School, Wyoming City
• (No. 164) Bexley High School, Bexley City
• (No. 172) Solon High School, Solon City
• (No. 187) Madeira High School, Madeira City
• (No. 284) Indian Hill High, Indian Hill Exempted Village
• (No. 291) Chagrin Falls High, Chagrin Falls Exempted Village
• (No. 381) Oakwood High, Oakwood City
• (No. 410) Hudson High, Hudson City
• (No. 419) Rocky River High, Rocky River City
• (No. 461) Turpin High School, Forest Hills Local
• (No. 477) Aurora High, Aurora City

Here are the top 10 schools in this year's national Best High Schools ranking:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - Alexandria, Virginia
2. Academic Magnet High School - North Charleston, South Carolina
3. The Davidson Academy of Nevada - Reno, Nevada
4. Payton College Preparatory High School - Chicago, Illinois
5. School for Advanced Studies - Miami, Florida
6. Sumner Academy of Arts and Science - Kansas City, Kansas
7. Merrol Hyde Magnet School - Hendersonville, Tennessee
8. BASIS Chandler - Chandler, Arizona
9. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology - Lawrenceville, Georgia
10. Signature School - Evansville, Indiana

The methodology used for this year's ranking focused on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates.

The data used in this edition is from the 2018-2019 academic school year and, therefore, was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about the Best High Schools methodology.

In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News also published rankings at the state, metro area and school district levels. Only metro areas and school districts with three or more high schools were included in these sub-rankings.

BASIS Chandler in Arizona is at the top of the list for charter schools, and High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey, is the No. 1 STEM school.

Here are the top 100 high schools in Ohio, according to U.S. News:

1. Walnut Hills High School
2. Ottawa Hills High School
3. Wyoming High School
4. Bexley High School
5. Solon High School
6. Madeira High School
7. Indian Hill High School
8. Chagrin Falls High School
9. Oakwood High School
10. Hudson High School
11. Rocky River High School
12. Turpin High School
13. Aurora High School
14. Olentangy High School
15. Dublin Jerome High School
16. William Mason High School
17. Bay High School
18. Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School
19. Grandview Heights High School
20. Orange High School
21. Olentangy Liberty High School
22. Mariemont High School
23. Columbus Alternative High School
24. Granville High School
25. John Hay Early College High School
26. Chippewa High School
27. New Albany High School
28. Sycamore High School
29. Orange High School
30. Avon Lake High School
31. Kenston High School
32. Kings High School
33. Dublin Coffman High School
34. Highland High School
35. Revere High School
36. Upper Arlington High School
37. Beachwood High School
38. Anderson High School
39. Loveland High School
40. Jackson High School
41. Strongsville High School
42. Poland Seminary High School
43. Stivers School for the Arts
44. Twinsburg High School
45. Westlake High School
46. Canfield High School
47. Perrysburg High School
48. Avon High School
49. West Geauga High School
50. John Hay School of Science and Medicine
51. Jonathan Alder High School
52. Kirtland High School
53. Wheeler High School
54. Lakota East High School
55. Crestview High School
56. Oberlin High School
57. Pickerington High School North
58. Springboro High School
59. Shaker Heights High School
60. Shawnee High School
61. Milford Senior High School
62. Marion Local High School
63. Waynesville High School
64. Westerville-North High School
65. Reynoldsburg High School Estem
66. Westerville Central High School
67. Arts and College Preparatory Academy
68. Centerville High School
69. Hilliard Davidson High School
70. Wooster High School
71. Tallmadge High School
72. Dublin Scioto High School
73. Olmsted Falls High School
74. Lakota West High School
75. Fairbanks High School
76. Copley High School
77. Lake High School
78. Akron STEM High School
79. Little Miami High School
80. New Bremen High School
81. Sylvania Northview High School
82. Green High School
83. Big Walnut High School
84. Ross High School
85. North Royalton High School
86. Nordonia High School
87. Evergreen High School
88. Hoover High School
89. Chardon High School
90. Westerville-South High School
91. Louisville High School
92. Lincoln High School
93. Bellbrook High School
94. Wadsworth High School
95. School for Creat and Perf Arts High School
96. Sylvania Southview High School
97. Bethel High School
98. Mayfield High School
99. Perry High School
100. Brookville High School