Philadelphia’s Masterman Ranks No. 3 in Nation as Best School

Philadelphia’s Masterman Ranks No. 3 in Nation as Philly-Area Schools Dominate U.S. News’ 2026-27 List

Philadelphia continues to make its mark on the national education landscape, with Julia R. Masterman Secondary School ranking No. 3 among the nation’s best public high schools in the newly released 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

RELATED: Top 10 Most Prestigious Schools in Philadelphia

The annual rankings evaluated nearly 18,000 public high schools nationwide from roughly 27,000 eligible schools. Masterman was also named the No. 1 public high school in Pennsylvania, reinforcing the Philadelphia magnet school’s reputation as one of the country’s strongest academic institutions.

RELATED: Top 10 Most Dangerous Schools in Philadelphia

Masterman’s national ranking places it behind Central Magnet School in Tennessee, which claimed the No. 1 spot, and Signature School in Indiana, which ranked No. 2. Masterman was followed nationally by Davidson Academy in Nevada and School Without Walls High School in Washington, D.C.

The results represent another strong showing for Masterman. In the previous U.S. News rankings, the Philadelphia school ranked No. 8 nationally, meaning its latest placement represents a five-position jump into the nation’s top three.

Philadelphia schools make strong showing

Masterman was not the only Philadelphia school to perform well.

Central High School, another Philadelphia public magnet school, ranked No. 3 in Pennsylvania and No. 119 nationally. Academy at Palumbo ranked No. 11 in Pennsylvania and No. 413 nationally, while the High School of Engineering and Science ranked No. 21 in the state and No. 670 nationally.

Several suburban schools also landed near the top of the Pennsylvania rankings. Downingtown STEM Academy ranked No. 2 in Pennsylvania and No. 19 nationally. Harriton High School, Radnor High School and Lower Merion High School also placed among Pennsylvania’s top 10.

What determines the rankings?

U.S. News bases its Best High Schools rankings on several measures designed to assess both academic achievement and how effectively schools prepare students for life after graduation.

The 2026-27 rankings consider college readiness, curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency and performance, graduation rates, and performance among underserved students. The rankings also incorporate Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate participation and performance.

According to U.S. News, the data used for this year’s rankings comes from the 2023-24 school year and was compiled in partnership with research organization RTI International.

For Philadelphia families, Masterman’s continued presence near the very top of the national rankings provides another indication of the city’s ability to produce nationally competitive public-school programs.

Masterman and Central are both selective public magnet schools, meaning students must meet admission requirements and apply for enrollment. Their continued success also highlights the intense competition surrounding Philadelphia’s special-admission schools.

Masterman is once again proving that a Philadelphia public school can compete with — and rank among — the very best schools in the country.

RELATED: 20 Philadelphia Schools Have Been Proposed to Close

Philadelphia’s Masterman Ranks No. 3 in Nation as Philly-Area Schools Dominate U.S. News’ 2026-27 List was originally published on rnbphilly.com