The highest ranked U.S. public schools in U.S. News & World Report's 2020 Best High Schools rankings are those whose attendees demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading state assessments, passed a diverse array of college-level exams and graduated in high proportions.
Under U.S. News' 2020 rankings methodology, the vast majority of all public high schools are ranked. In coordination with North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm, U.S. News ranked approximately 17,790 public high schools out of more than 24,000 reviewed.