Blog / SAT & ACT

The Best Public High Schools in the U.S. by SAT & ACT Scores

by Brainly Staff / Updated May 20, 2019

We’ve combed through thousands of records to find the top high schools in the country by test scores in a massive study. The results are in.

The two best high schools in America by test scores only are Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, which was the top-scoring high school for the SATs, and Davidson Academy in Reno, Nevada, which was the top-scoring high school for the ACTs. The two high schools in America that should still work on their test scores are the Second Start School in Concord, New Hampshire, which had the country’s lowest average SAT score, and the Variety School in Las Vegas, Nevada, which had the country’s lowest average ACT score.

How We Gathered the Data

While there is no federal test that examines all public high schools in the United States, with most education systems being overseen by their home state and federal tests only focusing on urban areas, two independently run, popular tests — the College Board’s SAT and the nonprofit ACT — are often required for college-bound juniors. We took a look at the data on both tests state by state.

With the exception of a few states (Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia), most state governments record either ACT or SAT scores for all of their schools and districts that quizzed more than 10 test-takers. Gathering a list of the top 10 best and worst high schools for each state by test score, we were able to determine high school rankings by state and then rank all schools based on average composite scores.

Unfortunately, data availability varied a great deal on a state-by-state basis, including results from 2012 to 2018. SAT scores that used the older scoring method (out of 2400 points rather than 1600) were converted to a 1600-point scale. What we ended up with was a list of more than 1,500 schools with either exemplary or unusually low SAT or ACT scores. While it is a shame that there is no unifying, public, government-run scorecard for high schools nationally, we hope our study can showcase some of the top public schools in the country as well as schools and areas that may need more assistance.

Top 10 High Schools With the Highest SAT Scores

The SAT is a traditional American test out of 1600 points, measuring reading, writing, math, and grammar skills in a multiple-choice test. These are the schools with the highest average SAT scores. By high schools with the best SAT scores, we mean the average composite score for the most recent available year.

Rank	School	Location	Average SAT Score
1	Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology	Alexandria, Virginia	1515 (originally 2198/2400)
2	Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Technologies	Edison, New Jersey	1502
3	High Technology High School	Lincroft, New Jersey	1500
4	Felicity-Franklin High School	Felicity, Ohio	1480 (originally 2120/2400)
5	Biotechnology High School	Freehold Township, New Jersey	1477
6	Bergen County Academies	Hackensack, New Jersey	1470
7	Stuyvesant High School	New York City, New York	1466 (originally 2096/2400)
8	Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science	Denton, Texas	1465
9	Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science	Worcester, Massachusetts	1457
10	Jasper High School	Plano, Texas	1446

Out of the 50 United States, only 23 of them collect SAT scores for their public schools, which is why the SATs alone are insufficient to come up with a full list of U.S. public school rankings. The SATs are especially popular on the East Coast, where many local colleges require them for admissions. Looking at the top SAT scores by high school, we see scores well above the normal range. These schools, like Stuyvesant High in New York City, are often famously competitive, and the top 10 list can change from year to year.

For Reference, What Is the Average SAT Score in America?

The U.S. average SAT score for 2018 was 1068. The average high school SAT score can change depending on your state, your type of school, and your situation, but typically, average scores hover between 1000 and 1100. Remember that a perfect score is 1600.

How Did SAT Scores Change?

Between 2005 and 2016, the SAT scores were out of 2400 points, not out of 1600. The average score back in those days was 1480, a score that would have impressed your friends had it been out of 1600 but a fundamentally average score for those taking the test during that decade. It’s a bit confusing, and ultimately, the SAT scoring system switched back to the old scale. Because some states’ more recent data came from before 2016, some of our scores had to be converted to remain on the same scale.

Top 10 High Schools With the Highest ACT Scores?

Does your school have the highest ACT score? High school rankings here are based on average composite scores for the ACTs, an exam that has a highest possible score of 36 and tests English, math, reading, and science abilities. It’s considered to be a little bit more forgiving than the SAT, but not by much. Here are some of the best public schools in the USA with the highest average ACT score. High schools throughout the south and west of the country often use this test.

Rank	School	Location	Average SAT Score
1	Davidson Academy	Reno, Nevada	33.9
2	Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science	Denton, Texas	32.7
3	Latexo High School	Latexo, Texas	32
4	Early College at Guilford	Greensboro, North Carolina	31.9
5	Lynbrook High	San Jose, California	31.5
6	Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science	Bowling Green, Kentucky	31.5
7	Mission San Jose High	Fremont, California	31.3
8	Jasper High School	Plano, Texas	31
9	School for the Talented and Gifted	Dallas, Texas	30.9
10	Monta Vista High	San Jose, California	30.5

While Nevada’s Davidson Academy takes the cake, Texas, as we’ll see in the next section, is home to some of the worst and best ACT scores. By high schools’ standards, these public schools are exemplary, especially considering that the national average ACT score is only 21. Out of the 50 states, 31 of them have collected ACT data, making it slightly more pervasive than the SAT.

Top 10 High Schools that still need to work on their SAT Scores

There are no official United States school rankings based on test scores in this country, but if there were, some of these schools would have things to worry about. On the other hand, many of these schools are alternative schools for students already struggling within the current public school system, so they should not necessarily be demonized for their poor performance.

Rank	School	Location	Average SAT Score
1	Second Start	Concord, New Hampshire	610
2	Frank M. Tejeda Academy	San Antonio, Texas	669
3	Rittman Exempted Village	Rittman, Ohio	680 (originally 870/2400)
4	Making Community Connections Charter School	Keene, New Hampshire	685
5	Southwest Academy	Allen, Texas	688
6	Lew Wallace (Sci-Tech-Eng-Math)	Gary, Indiana	694
7	Multicultural High School	Brooklyn, New York	697 (originally 887/2400)
8	Bethel-Tate Local	Bethel, Ohio	700 (originally 900/2400)
9	Del Valle Opportunity Center	Del Valle, Texas	712
10	Robert B. Jolicoeur School	Manchester, New Hampshire	716

Top 10 High Schools that still need to work on their ACT Scores

Compare high schools with the highest and lowest ACT scores: These high school rankings show us many different alternative schools that are less focused on college preparation and more focused on practical skill-building.

Rank	School	Location	Average SAT Score
1	Variety School	Las Vegas, Nevada	9.5
2	Tejas School of Choice	El Paso, Texas	10.6
3	Healy High School	Healy, Kansas	11
4	Ramsey Street High School	Fayetteville, North Carolina	11.4
5	Utah International Charter School	Salt Lake City, Utah	11.6
6	Minnesota Internship Center	Minneapolis, Minnesota	11.7
7	Citrus High (Continuation)	Fontana, California	11.8
8	John Leslie Patton Jr. Academic Center	Dallas, Texas	11.8
9	Miley Achievement Center	Las Vegas, Nevada	11.9
10	Greg Mathis Charter High	North Charleston, South Carolina	12.1

The Best Schools in the Country by State

See our map to find details on public school rankings by state. List out the top schools in your state, or find the top high schools in the U.S. across the map. Our school ranking looks at both ACT and SAT data, so you can find the worst and best high schools in the U.S. for test scores of either kind.

Other Factors

It’s especially important to note that the SAT and ACT are designed for and helpful to college-bound high school students. In some states, non-college-bound students may have the option to opt out. In other states, tests are required for all students. The SATs, for instance, are only a requirement in a handful of states.

Also, it’s important to note that the SAT and ACT, while technically nonprofit, are separate entities from the government and are made more for colleges than for students. Recently, admissions consultants and test proctors were caught accepting bribes in exchange for better scores. This harmful scam befitting students from wealthy backgrounds continued to a ridiculous extent, exploiting the availability of accommodations for disabled students.

Americans’ faith in the SATs and ACTs has been shaken. Perhaps now is the time for a federal, nationwide, transparent test with results that would be available everywhere. Certainly, while these scores alone should not be taken into consideration when trying to manage funding or make educational decisions, they can be illuminating for college-bound students and educators, for now.