U.S. News says its annual school rankings give families a way to evaluate local education options.
“Every student deserves a pathway to success, and that journey often begins with selecting the right school,” Dr. LaMont Jones, the U.S. managing editor for education, said in a statement. “The 2026-2027 Best High Schools rankings empower families with the valuable data and transparency they need to help make the best educational choices for them.
U.S. News has some of the most influential school-rankings lists in the country. The publication even licenses its name so schools can use their ranking in promotional materials.
But with a heavy emphasis on AP and standardized test scores, critics say the rankings lack nuance and heavily favor wealthy communities.
This points to a larger problem with American education as a whole, according to a 2023 blog post on the National Education Policy Center’s website.