Both of Lower Merion Township's public high schools landed in the top 2% of nearly 18,000 ranked schools nationwide in the U.S. News & World Report 2026-27 Best High Schools rankings, released Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Harriton High School in Rosemont came in at No. 339 nationally and No. 6 in Pennsylvania. Lower Merion High School in Ardmore placed No. 380 nationally and No. 8 in the state.

The 41-spot gap puts Harriton ahead of its crosstown counterpart, with neighboring Radnor High School slotting between them at No. 341.

What the rankings measure

U.S. News evaluated roughly 27,000 eligible public high schools and ranked nearly 18,000, using 2023-24 school year data produced in coordination with RTI International, a North Carolina-based research firm. Six weighted indicators drive each school's score, according to the U.S. News methodology:

  • College Readiness (30%) — the proportion of 12th graders who scored 3 or higher on an AP exam or 4 or higher on an IB exam
  • State Assessment Proficiency (20%)
  • State Assessment Performance (20%)
  • College Curriculum Breadth (10%)
  • Underserved Student Performance (10%)
  • Graduation Rate (10%)

College readiness carries the most weight, rewarding schools whose seniors pass at least one AP or IB exam before graduation.

State and national context

Pennsylvania's top-ranked school is Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Philadelphia at No. 3 nationally, followed by Downingtown STEM Academy at No. 19. Central Magnet School in Tennessee holds the No. 1 spot nationwide.

LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for education at U.S. News, said in the announcement that the rankings are meant to give families data and transparency to make informed school choices.

What's next

The rankings arrive as the Lower Merion School District prepares to open the 2026-27 school year. Private schools are not included in the U.S. News methodology because publicly available standardized-assessment data is limited for those institutions. Charter and magnet schools are eligible because they receive public funding.

Families can view full school profiles, including individual indicator scores, on the U.S. News website.