Homewood High School is the state’s top-ranked traditional public school according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 rankings. Two magnet programs in Montgomery and Huntsville also are highly ranked by the news agency.

Montgomery’s Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP) ranked number 21 out of all public high schools in the country. It was the only Alabama school to break the top 100.

“The 2024 Best High Schools rankings offer a starting point for parents to understand a school’s academic performance, whether it’s a prospective school or one that their child is already attending,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor of education at U.S. News. “Accessible data on our high schools can empower families across the country as they navigate today’s educational environment and plan for the future.”

U.S. News’ public high school rankings are based on student test scores in for math, reading and science. Top-ranked schools also had “strong underserved student performance, college readiness and curriculum breadth, as well as high graduation rates. College readiness specifically measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam,” according to the news press release.

The top public high school in the country is BASIS Charter School in Peoria, Arizona, according to the rankings.

Check out the full list of high school rankings from U.S. News and World Report.

Of course, there are many ways to assess a school’s quality and performance. You can see which Alabama schools earned an ‘A’ on the state’s report card here.

National rankings

In addition to overall rankings, U.S. News ranked top STEM, charter and magnet schools nationwide.

Mountain Brook High School is ranked 87 and is the only Alabama high school to crack the top 100 nationwide. Last year it was ranked 103.

Two Alabama schools were ranked in the top 100 of magnet programs nationally, with LAMP at No. 9. Huntsville’s New Century Technology High School is ranked at 60 nationwide. Last year New Century was ranked at 80.

Alabama’s Top 25 High Schools

For the fourth year in a row, U.S. News has ranked Montgomery’s LAMP as the best high school in Alabama. Three Shelby County schools are in the top 25 this year. Madison City and Hoover City have two high schools in the top 25. All but four of the schools were in the top 25 last year. One school jumped from No. 58 to 20.

Here are Alabama’s top 25 high schools, counting down to number one. An asterisk (*) indicates the school is new to U.S. News’ top 25 ranking for 2024.

#25 – Chelsea High School, Shelby County Schools

*Rank in 2023: 32

#24 – Helena High School, Shelby County

Rank in 2023: 21

#23 – Madison County High School, Madison County Schools

*Rank in 2023: 42

#22 – Winfield High School, Winfield City Schools

*Rank in 2023: 44

#21 – Russellville High School, Russellville City Schools

Rank in 2023: 18

#20 – T.R. Miller High School, Brewton City Schools

*Rank in 2023: 58

#19 – W.P. Davidson High School, Mobile County

Rank in 2023: 15

#18 – Ramsay High School, Birmingham City Schools

Rank in 2023: 23

#17 – Auburn High School, Auburn City Schools

Rank in 2023: 10

#16 – Booker T Washington Magnet High School, Montgomery Public Schools

Rank in 2023: 16

#15 – Huntsville High School, Huntsville City Schools

Rank in 2023: 17

#14 – Hartselle High School, Hartselle City Schools

Rank in 2023: 20

#13 – Arab High School, Arab City Schools

Rank in 2023: 13

#12 – Bob Jones High School, Madison City Schools

Rank in 2023: 11

#11 – Hoover High School, Hoover City Schools

Rank in 2023: 14

#10 – Oak Mountain High School, Shelby County

Rank in 2023: 9

#9 – Brewbaker Tech Magnet High School, Montgomery Public Schools

Rank in 2023: 7

#8 – Hewitt-Trussville High School, Trussville City Schools

Rank in 2023: 12

#7 – Spain Park High School, Hoover City Schools

Rank in 2023: 6

#6 – James Clemens High School, Madison City Schools

Rank in 2023: 8

#5 – Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills City Schools

Rank in 2023: 5

#4 – Mountain Brook High School, Mountain Brook City Schools

Rank in 2023: 2

#3 – Homewood High School, Homewood City Schools

Rank in 2023: 3

#2 – New Century Technology High School, Huntsville City Schools

Rank in 2023: 4

#1- Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School, Montgomery Public Schools

Rank in 2023: 1