The 40 Best Public High Schools in Philadelphia and the Suburbs

Bodine, one of the best public schools in Philadelphia. Mural by Eurhi Jones & Beverly Fisher for the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Photograph by Mike Reali.

We crunched the numbers on academic performance and learning environment to bring you the schools* at the top of their class.

City Schools

Listed alphabetically

Academy at Palumbo

Bella Vista
Student enrollment: 1,061
Graduation percentage: 93%
College percentage: 86%
Student-teacher ratio: 22:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 523/513

Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush

Northeast Philly
Student enrollment: 621
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 89%
Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 527/501

Bodine

Northern Liberties
Student enrollment: 534
Graduation percentage: 91%
College percentage: 80%
Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 499/495

Carver (Engineering & Science)

North Philly
Student enrollment: 815
Graduation percentage: 91%
College percentage: 93%
Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 530/523

Central

North Philly
Student enrollment: 2,397
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 90%
Student-teacher ratio: 23:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 603/627

Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA)

South Philly
Student enrollment: 746
Graduation percentage: 88%
College percentage: 81%
Student-teacher ratio: 20:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 511/472

Franklin Towne (charter)

Northeast Philly
Student enrollment: 1,222
Graduation percentage: 95%
College percentage: 78%
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 496/496

Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP)

South Philly
Student enrollment: 263
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 86%
Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 517/510

Girls High

North Philly
Student enrollment: 843
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 86%
Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 504/485

MaST Community (charter)

Northeast Philly
Student enrollment: 453
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 85%
Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 534/523

Masterman

Spring Garden
Student enrollment: 463
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 98%
Student-teacher ratio: 21:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 681/709

New Foundations (charter)

Northeast Philly
Student enrollment: 770
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 94%
Student-teacher ratio: 19:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 511/489

Philadelphia Academy (charter)

Northeast Philly
Student enrollment: 438
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 78%
Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 504/492

Science Leadership Academy

Center City
Student enrollment: 500
Graduation percentage: 95%
College percentage: 78%
Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 550/527

Suburban Schools

Listed alphabetically

Central Bucks East, one of the best public schools in the area. Photograph by Jonathan Goldberg/KCBA Architects

Central Bucks East

Bucks
Student enrollment: 1,554
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 94%
Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 603/611

Cherry Hill East

Camden
Student enrollment: 2,171
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 88%
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 592/599

Cinnaminson

Burlington
Student enrollment: 808
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 78%
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 575/570

Clearview Regional

Gloucester
Student enrollment: 1,480
Graduation percentage: 95%
College percentage: 75%
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 570/581

Conestoga

Chester
Student enrollment: 2,219
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 97%
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 640/650

Council Rock North

Bucks
Student enrollment: 1,647
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 90%
Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 613/610

Downingtown STEM Academy

Chester
Student enrollment: 819
Graduation percentage: 100%
College percentage: 100%
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 648/666

Garnet Valley

Delaware
Student enrollment: 1,623
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 91%
Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 601/614

Great Valley

Chester
Student enrollment: 1,319
Graduation percentage: 95%
College percentage: 93%
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 598/594

Haddonfield

Camden
Student enrollment: 835
Graduation percentage: 99%
College percentage: 89%
Student-teacher ratio: 9:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 608/606

Harriton

Montgomery
Student enrollment: 1,210
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 94%
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 614/607

Jenkintown

Montgomery
Student enrollment: 211
Graduation percentage: 87%
College percentage: 100%
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 597/580

Lower Merion

Montgomery
Student enrollment: 1,512
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 93%
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 623/611

Lower Moreland

Montgomery
Student enrollment: 751
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 96%
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 592/599

Moorestown

Burlington
Student enrollment: 1,267
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 87%
Student-teacher ratio: 11:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 607/616

New Hope-Solebury

Bucks
Student enrollment: 509
Graduation percentage: 90%
College percentage: 96%
Student-teacher ratio: 12:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 605/612

Radnor

Delaware
Student enrollment: 1,219
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 91%
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 634/652

Shawnee

Burlington
Student enrollment: 1,563
Graduation percentage: 97%
College percentage: 88%
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 581/576

Spring-Ford

Montgomery
Student enrollment: 2,511
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 87%
Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 579/595

Strath Haven

Delaware
Student enrollment: 1,173
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 90%
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 604/614

Unionville

Chester
Student enrollment: 1,363
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 96%
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 629/624

Upper Dublin

Montgomery
Student enrollment: 1,330
Graduation percentage: 98%
College percentage: 93%
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 598/591

West Chester Bayard Rustin

Chester
Student enrollment: 1,295
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 92%
Student-teacher ratio: 14:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 587/594

West Chester Henderson

Chester
Student enrollment: 1,296
Graduation percentage: 96%
College percentage: 92%
Student-teacher ratio: 15:1
SAT scores (verbal/math): 587/588

*These schools make up the top fifth of our separate rankings of Philadelphia district and charter schools (81 total) and suburban public schools in the Greater Philadelphia region (127 total). For our calculations, we used the latest publicly available data from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey departments of education and the National Center for Education Statistics; numbers above have been rounded to the nearest whole. Our ranking methodology includes additional student performance categories; for a full explanation, see phillymag.com/schools2019.

Published as “The Top-Performing Public High Schools” in the September 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.