Julia R. Masterman School ranks third among U.S. public high schools

Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Philadelphia has been ranked as the third-best public high school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for the 2026-27 period. This represents a five-position improvement from its previous ranking of number eight.

Masterman is also recognized as the top-ranked public high school in Pennsylvania. The national rankings, which evaluated nearly 18,000 schools, placed Central Magnet School in Tennessee at number one and Signature School in Indiana at number two.

Other notable Pennsylvania schools included in the report are Downingtown STEM Academy, which ranked 19th nationally, and Radnor High School, which was named 97th among the nation’s best STEM high schools. The rankings are based on metrics such as graduation rates, college readiness, and student performance on state assessments.