Suncoast High School, one of Palm Beach County’s two most vaunted public high schools, has climbed 20 spots in the annual U.S. News & World Report’s rankings, reclaiming a position in the nation’s top 100 public high schools in the nation after falling below that mark in 2025.
In rankings released by the publication Tuesday, Aug. 18, Suncoast rose from No. 101 to No. 81. Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, the district’s other frequent top performer, fell several spots to No. 125. But in a field of roughly 18,000 high schools, the rankings remain extraordinary, allowing the Palm Beach County School District to boast two schools among the nation’s top 1%.
The news magazine calculates its rankings using a variety of factors including, but not limited to, student performance on state-mandated tests, graduation rates, enrollment and performance in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.
U.S. News first published rankings in the fall of 2007. Suncoast and Dreyfoos, both selective, application-only public schools, have regularly landed in the Top 100, trading leads and bragging rights along the way. In 2019, the publication updated its methodology and both schools fell a few spots. Last year, however, both fell out of the top 100 for the first time since 2022.
Breaking the list down by state, Suncoast and Dreyfoos came in at No.s 8 and 15 respectively in Florida. Pine View School in Sarasota County grabbed the state’s top spot, with a national ranking of 13.
Nationally, a magnet school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, topped the rankings.
In its announcement, U.S. News & World Report noted that “Massachusetts continues to lead the nation, with 40% of its high schools ranked in the top quarter of U.S. high schools.” It is trailed closely by Connecticut and New Jersey with 39% and 35% respectively.
Narrowing the view to high-performing metro areas, the Silicon Valley (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California) lead the way with 60% of schools ranked in the top 25%.
Palm Beach County’s top 10 high schools with national rank
8. Suncoast High, Riviera Beach
15. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach
50. Spanish River High, Boca Raton
73. Boca Raton High, Boca Raton
100. West Boca Raton High, Boca Raton
112. Jupiter High, Jupiter
144. Wellington High, Wellington
154. Park Vista High, Lake Worth
168. William T. Dwyer High, West Palm Beach
178. Somerset Academy Canyons High (charter), Boynton Beach
Florida Top 10 high schools
Pine View School, Osprey
Marine Academy of Science and Technology at FIU, North Miami
Neocity Academy, Kissimmee
Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter, Miami
West Shore Junior/Senior, Melbourne
Jose Marti Mast 6-12, Hialeah
Stanton College Preparatory, Jacksonville
Suncoast High, Riviera Beach
I Preparatory Academy, Miami
Terra Environmental Research Institute, Miami
* 15. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County school regains foothold in Top 100 high schools
Reporting by Sonja Isger, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sonja Isger, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
