New rankings reveal best high schools in the Kansas City area. Where are they?
The best high school in Kansas and one of the top high schools in the state of Missouri reside in the Kansas City metro area, according to a new ranking.
U.S. News and World Report revealed its 2025 rankings for the best public high schools in the United States. More than 350 Missouri schools and 290 Kansas schools made its rankings for the best in the country. They also broke down each ranking by the state, showing where the top 10 schools are located.
The website's rankings are based on factors such as a school’s graduation rate, college readiness, curriculum, student performance on state assessments and the performance of underserved students. Each factor is rated on a scale, and the website gets its information from third-party sources, like the U.S. Department of Education’s Common Core of Data website.
These are the top 10 high schools in Kansas City, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 report.
Best high schools in Kansas City
The best high school in the Kansas City metro according to Niche’s 2024 data is Sumner Academy of Arts and Science in Kansas City, Kansas. The public magnet school also ranks as the best high school in Kansas and No. 143 in the national rankings, with an overall score of 99.2/100. The school has a graduation rate of 98% and is ranked No. 1 nationally in the state assessment performance category.
No. 2 in the rankings is Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Kansas City, which ranked No. 3 in the Missouri high school rankings and No. 388 nationally. The public magnet school has an overall score of 97.83/100. The school has a 100% graduation rate and ranks as the third-best in Missouri for college readiness.
Here’s how the rest of the top 10 ranked in 2024:
- No. 3: Blue Valley Northwest High School, Overland Park. Overall score of 97.81/100
- No. 4: Blue Valley West High School, Overland Park. Overall score of 96.88/100
- No. 5: Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village. Overall score of 95.46/100
- No. 6: Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park. Overall score of 95.33/100
- No. 7: Blue Valley High School, Stilwell. Overall score of 95.15/100
- No. 8: Park Hill High School, Kansas City. Overall score of 91.88/100
- No. 9: Park Hill South High School, Riverside. Overall score of 91.78/100
- No. 10: Blue Valley Southwest High School, Overland Park. Overall score of 91.74/100
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 12:53 PM.
