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Best public high schools in Arizona

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Published 6:39 AM

Child's shoes with a backpack leaning against their legs.

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Best public high schools in Arizona

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a ’96 commencement address at Wellesley College, “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” If that’s the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It’s a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Arizona using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.

A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear.

Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock

#30. Great Hearts Academies – Lincoln Prep

– Location: Chandler, AZ
– Enrollment: 546 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test.

Achira22 // Shutterstock

#29. Presidio School

– Location: Tucson, AZ
– Enrollment: 392 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A A student talking to a teacher in the hallway.

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#28. Great Hearts Academies – Trivium Prep

– Location: Goodyear, AZ
– Enrollment: 904 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down.

LightField Studios // Shutterstock

#27. Hamilton High School

– Location: Chandler Unified School District No. 80, AZ
– Enrollment: 3,926 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera.

Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#26. ASU Preparatory Academy – Casa Grande High School

– Location: Casa Grande, AZ
– Enrollment: 194 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A high school student doing a chemical experiment.

LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#25. Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center – Estrella

– Location: Avondale, AZ
– Enrollment: 454 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.

panitanphoto // Shutterstock

#24. Phoenix Union Bioscience High School

– Location: Phoenix Union High School District, AZ
– Enrollment: 392 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A student raising their hand in class.

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

#23. Paragon Science Academy

– Location: Chandler, AZ
– Enrollment: 524 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ An empty school hallway lined with red lockers.

ImageFlow // Shutterstock

#22. Horizon Honors Secondary School

– Location: Phoenix, AZ
– Enrollment: 714 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard.

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#21. BASIS Goodyear

– Location: Goodyear, AZ
– Enrollment: 269 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A row of empty desks with notebooks and pencils on them.

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

#20. Great Hearts Academies – Anthem

– Location: Phoenix, AZ
– Enrollment: 1,022 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A hallway lined with green lockers.

SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock

#19. Great Hearts Academies – Glendale Prep

– Location: Peoria, AZ
– Enrollment: 593 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A side view of a person using a laptop in the school library.

sirtravelalot // Shutterstock

#18. Great Hearts Academies – Veritas Prep

– Location: Phoenix, AZ
– Enrollment: 792 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ An empty classroom as viewed from the back.

maroke // Shutterstock

#17. Gilbert Classical Academy High School

– Location: Gilbert Public Schools, AZ
– Enrollment: 712 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table.

Studio KIWI // Shutterstock

#16. University High School

– Location: Tolleson Union High School District, AZ
– Enrollment: 405 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera.

GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#15. Great Hearts Arete Preparatory Academy

– Location: Gilbert, AZ
– Enrollment: 550 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables.

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#14. BASIS Flagstaff

– Location: Flagstaff, AZ
– Enrollment: 785 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Students using microscopes in science class.

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#13. Great Hearts Academies – Chandler Prep

– Location: Chandler, AZ
– Enrollment: 694 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ High school students studying and reading together in their school library.

Joyseulay // Shutterstock

#12. Arizona College Prep High School

– Location: Chandler Unified School District No. 80, AZ
– Enrollment: 1,225 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Students raising their hands for class participation.

LStockStudio // Shutterstock

#11. Great Hearts Academies – Scottsdale Prep

– Location: Scottsdale, AZ
– Enrollment: 851 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook.

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#10. Tempe Preparatory Academy

– Location: Tempe, AZ
– Enrollment: 447 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Two students sharing a book.

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#9. BASIS Peoria

– Location: Peoria, AZ
– Enrollment: 943 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A high school student doing classwork on their laptop.

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#8. BASIS Chandler

– Location: Chandler, AZ
– Enrollment: 1,154 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk.

Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock

#7. BASIS Ahwatukee

– Location: Phoenix, AZ
– Enrollment: 720 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor.

LBeddoe // Shutterstock

#6. BASIS Oro Valley

– Location: Oro Valley, AZ
– Enrollment: 575 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Bookshelves at a high school's library.

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#5. University High School

– Location: Tucson Unified School District, AZ
– Enrollment: 1,129 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A stack of spiral noteboooks in front of a wooden background.

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

#4. BASIS Mesa

– Location: Mesa, AZ
– Enrollment: 808 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Two rows of red lockers.

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#3. BASIS Scottsdale

– Location: Scottsdale, AZ
– Enrollment: 1,057 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ Empty desks in a high school classroom.

Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock

#2. BASIS Phoenix

– Location: Phoenix, AZ
– Enrollment: 730 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+ A closeup of a student taking notes in class.

Canva

#1. BASIS Tucson North

– Location: Tucson, AZ
– Enrollment: 863 (student to teacher ratio not available)
– Niche grade: Grade A+

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

Article Topic Follows: Stacker-Arizona

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