These Are Now The 10 Best High Schools In Wisconsin

Wisconsin has long taken pride in its public schools, and the latest numbers give the state something to celebrate.

Wisconsin's high school graduation rate climbed to a record-high 91.1% — its best mark since the state began tracking the four-year figure in 2009 and comfortably above the national average.

Getting there is no small task. Wisconsin students need 15 credits to graduate, and the state measures achievement through the Wisconsin Student Assessment System, which uses the ACT with writing to test reading, English, writing, math and science.

So when a major study set out to identify the best high schools in America, and in every individual state, Wisconsin was well represented.

The study is the recently released U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings for 2026-2027, which combed through tens of thousands of public schools nationwide.

Here is how the rankings were built, and which ten Wisconsin schools were the best in the state.

Finding The Best High Schools In America

Partnering with the nonprofit research firm RTI International, U.S. News examined more than 27,000 public high schools nationwide and ranked nearly 18,000 of them, including 467 in Wisconsin. Every school received an overall score from zero to 100 — essentially a national percentile — drawn from six weighted measures:

• College Readiness (30%) — the share of seniors who took and passed AP or IB exams
• State Assessment Proficiency (20%) — student performance on state math, reading and science tests
• State Assessment Performance (20%) — how those results compared to what was predicted for the school's demographics
• College Curriculum Breadth (10%) — participation and success across multiple AP or IB subject areas
• Underserved Student Performance (10%) — how Black, Hispanic and low-income students fared against state peers
• Graduation Rate (10%) — the share of ninth-graders who graduated within four years

Get our free mobile app

Because state test data exists for every school, those results shaped the rankings most, with college-level exams and graduation rates filling in the rest. The field was limited to public schools — charters and magnets counted, private schools did not — and each needed a senior class of at least 15 students.

The 10 Best High Schools In Wisconsin

According to this study, these are Wisconsin's 10 best public high schools for the 2026-2027 rankings, counting down from No. 10 to No. 1.

No. 10 — Reagan College Preparatory High School, Milwaukee

The lone International Baccalaureate school on the list, Reagan ranked No. 571 nationally with a 96.82 score. Even with 52% of its students economically disadvantaged, it graduated 98% and ranked second in the entire state for assessment performance — a standout case of students outpacing expectations.

No. 9 — Brookfield East High School, Brookfield

Part of the Elmbrook School District, Brookfield East ranked No. 552 nationally with a 96.92 score. It sent 73% of seniors into AP exams and posted a near-perfect 99% graduation rate.

No. 8 — Middleton High School, Middleton

The biggest school in the top 10 at more than 2,300 students — and No. 1 in the Madison metro — Middleton ranked No. 488 nationally with a 97.28 score, pairing a 96% graduation rate with balanced proficiency across math, reading and science.

No. 7 — Gibraltar High School, Fish Creek

This tiny Door County school, with a remarkable 9-to-1 student-teacher ratio, ranked No. 444 nationally with a 97.53 score. A strong 83% of seniors took at least one AP exam, and it graduated 94% — with 29% of students economically disadvantaged.

No. 6 — Eisenhower Middle/High School, New Berlin

Serving grades 7-12, Eisenhower ranked No. 357 nationally with a 98.01 score, combining a 75% AP participation rate with a 98% graduation rate.

No. 5 — Homestead High School, Mequon

The Mequon-Thiensville district's lone high school ranked No. 353 nationally with a 98.03 score, backing a 98% graduation rate with 70% AP participation and steady proficiency across all three tested subjects.

No. 4 — Cedarburg High School, Cedarburg

Ranked No. 236 nationally with a 98.69 score, Cedarburg sent 79% of seniors into AP exams, graduated 97%, and posted strong core numbers, including 81% math and 84% reading proficiency.

No. 3 — Little Chute Career Pathways Academy, Little Chute

A small charter of fewer than 100 students — and No. 1 in the Appleton metro — Little Chute ranked No. 166 nationally with a 99.08 score. It earned the state's top graduation ranking with a perfect 100% rate, plus eye-popping 91% proficiency in both math and science.

No. 2 — High School of Health Sciences, Wales

This Kettle Moraine charter ranked No. 129 nationally with a 99.28 score and led all of Wisconsin in college curriculum breadth. It hit 92% reading and 84% science proficiency and graduated 98% of its students.

No. 1 — Whitefish Bay High School, Whitefish Bay

Wisconsin's best high school ranked No. 103 in the entire country with a 99.43 score — and graduated 100% of its students. It topped the state in assessment proficiency, sent 85% of seniors into AP exams, and cleared 82% or better proficiency in math, reading, and science, the most complete report card in the state.

SEE NOW: The 10 Most Dangerous Cities Right Now In Wisconsin

From Door County to the Milwaukee suburbs to the Fox Valley, these ten schools show Wisconsin education at its best. Each school's full report card, including its national and state indicator ranks, is available through the complete U.S. News methodology and directory pages.