School Without Walls Ranks 5th, TJ High Ranks 6th
Fairfax County Dominates with 7 of the State's Top 10 Schools
Two public high schools in the Washington area have proven the excellence of the region's education standards by ranking among the nation's best.
According to the "2026 Best Public High Schools" rankings released by the news magazine *U.S. News & World Report*, D.C.'s School Without Walls ranked 5th in the nation, while Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ High) in Fairfax County, Virginia, placed 6th.
The most notable highlight of this year's announcement was D.C.'s School Without Walls. Out of approximately 18,000 evaluated high schools across the country, it jumped an astonishing 64 spots from 69th last year to 5th this year.
LaMont Jones, senior editor of education at U.S. News, stated, "School Without Walls drove its overall ranking by making a huge leap in state assessment proficiency, rising from 2,488th in the nation last year to tied for 1st this year."
The traditionally prestigious TJ High also demonstrated its enduring strength through objective metrics. TJ High secured 6th place overall by tying for 1st nationally in three core categories: the College Readiness Index, graduation rate, and state assessment proficiency.
In particular, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia reaffirmed the area's reputation as a nationally renowned educational hub, with numerous schools ranking at the top both statewide and nationwide.
Led by TJ High—1st in Virginia and 6th nationally—Langley High School placed 3rd in Virginia and 146th nationally. Other Fairfax County high schools heavily populated the top tier of Virginia and ranked within the top 1–2% nationwide, including Madison High School (7th in the state, 205th nationally), Oakton High School (8th in the state, 221st nationally), McLean High School (8th in the state, 218th nationally), Woodson High School (10th in the state, 274th nationally), and Marshall High School (14th in the state, 385th nationally).
In Maryland, Poolesville High School in Montgomery County was the top-performing school in the county, ranking 135th nationally, while College Park Academy in Prince George's County placed 795th nationally.
The U.S. News & World Report public high school rankings are published annually by aggregating scores across six indicators, including college readiness (30%), state assessment proficiency, and graduation rates.