Back To School 2023-24: See NJ's Best High Schools In Recent Rankings

NEW JERSEY — High schools around New Jersey are welcoming, or preparing to welcome, their students back to class for the 2023-24 school year.

Proud parents, students, and alumni might claim their school is the best of the best— and some of them have the evidence to back it up, according to state report cards and Niche.com rankings of the best high schools in New Jersey.

State report card ratings for public high schools are based on graduation and absenteeism rates and standardized scores. Many of the top-performing high schools in the state all allow students to focus on subjects such as engineering, math, science, and technology, state data shows.

The top 20 public high schools in New Jersey, according to state school performance reports, are:

1. High Technology High School (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
2. Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health and Science (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
3. Edison Academy Magnet School (Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District)
4. Biotechnology High School (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
5. Bergen County Technical High School (Bergen County Vocational Technical School District)
6. Union County Magnet High School (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
7. Academy for Mathematics, Science and Engineering (Morris County Vocational School District)
8. Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (Ocean County Vocational Technical School District)
9. STEM Innovation Academy of the Oranges (Orange Board Of Education School District)
10. Hunterdon County Academies (Hunterdon County Vocational School District)
11. Academy For Information Technology (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
12. Academy For Allied Health Sciences (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
13. Dr Ronald McNair High School (Jersey City Public Schools)
14. Communications High School (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
15. Marine Academy of Science and Technology (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
16. Academy For Performing Arts (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
17. Technology High School (Newark Public School District)
18. Somerset County Vocational Technical High School (Somerset County Vocational and Technical School District)
19. Liberty High School (Jersey City Public Schools)
20. Bergen County Academies (Bergen County Vocational Technical School District)
21. Morris County School of Technology (Morris County Vocational School District)
22. Tenafly High School (Tenafly Public School District)
23. High Tech High School (Hudson County Schools of Technology School District)
24. Union County Tech (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
25. Chatham High School (School District of the Chathams)

Niche — a website known for its extensive rankings of schools, universities and communities — has rankings that include data for 92,743 public schools, 30,112 private schools and 11,820 school districts nationwide. The platform combined user input — ratings from current students, alumni and parents — with quantitative data.

The Niche rankings include public schools, as well as private schools. Both are listed below, and a number of public schools that had high marks on the state report card were also on the Niche list (they are marked in bold).

Here are New Jersey's top 25 public high schools, according to Niche.

1. High Technology High School (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
2. The Academy for Mathematics, Science & Engineering (Morris County Vocational School District)
3. Bergen County Academies (Bergen County Vocational Technical School District)
4. Biotechnology High School (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
5. Union County Magnet (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
6. Academy for Information Technology (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
7. Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science (Ocean County Vocational Technical School District)
8. Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro (Bergen County Vocational Technical School District)
9. Edison School - Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics & Engineering Technologies (Middlesex County Vocational & Technical School District)
10. Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School (Jersey City School District)
11. Academy for Allied Health Science (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
12. Princeton High School (Princeton Public Schools)
13. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District)
14. Academy of Allied Health & Sciences (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
15. Tenafly High School (Tenafly Public School District)
16. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District)
17. Millburn Senior High School (Millburn Township School District)
18. Union County Vocational-Technical High School (Union County Vocational-Technical School District)
19. Marine Academy of Science & Technology (Monmouth County Vocational School District)
20. Northern Valley Regional High School Demarest (Northern Valley Regional High School District)
21. Northern Highlands Regional High School
22. Livingston Senior High School (Livingston Board of Education School District)
23. Ridgewood High School (Ridgewood Public School District)
24. Ridge High School (Bernards Township School District)
25. Summit Senior High School (Summit Public School District)

These are New Jersey's top 25 best private high schools, per Niche:

1. Princeton International School of Math and Science
2. The Lawrenceville School
3. The Pingry School
4. Newark Academy
5. Delbarton School
6. The Peddie School
7. Dwight-Englewood School
8. Kent Place School
9. Princeton Day School
10. Rutgers Preparatory School
11. Blair Academy
12. Montclair Kimberley Academy
13. The Wardlaw + Hartridge School
14. Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
15. The Pennington School
16. The Wilberforce School
17. The Hun School of Princeton
18. Golda Och Academy
19. Ranney School
20. Morristown-Beard School
21. Pioneer Academy
22. Moorestown Friends School
23. Primoris Academy
24. Mount Saint Mary Academy
25. Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child - Upper School

See Niche's full rankings.

Niche said its rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities. Niche incorporated nearly 2.5 million school reviews from students, parents and teachers — the largest online collection of school reviews, according to the platform.