Best Schools in New York, NY — 2026 Rankings

New York City’s school system is the largest in America by a wide margin, but the data here covers a subset: 481 schools serving 186,698 students within the New York city designation in our dataset. The breakdown includes 208 elementary schools, 51 middle schools, 145 high schools, and 74 K-12 or other configurations. That unusually high number of high schools and K-12 campuses reflects NYC’s distinctive approach to secondary education, where the city operates hundreds of small, themed high schools rather than relying on large comprehensive campuses.

The city-wide average composite score comes in at 5.8 out of 10 — above the midpoint and stronger than many major metros. The top school reaches 8.8, and the average student-teacher ratio of 10.3:1 is remarkably low by national standards. New York invests more per-pupil than almost any city in the country, and that shows up in staffing levels. With 52 charter schools making up about 11% of campuses, the charter sector is present but doesn’t dominate the landscape the way it does in cities like Los Angeles or Phoenix.

For families moving to New York, the most important thing to understand is that the system rewards research. The sheer number of school options — particularly at the high school level, where NYC runs a centralized application process across hundreds of campuses — means that informed families have access to quality. Uninformed families default to their zoned school, which may or may not be the best fit.

Neighborhood Breakdown

The top 10 schools in New York cluster in a few specific boroughs and neighborhoods, with Manhattan dominating.

Harlem / Upper Manhattan — Five of the top 10 schools are in or draw heavily from Harlem and Upper Manhattan. Ps 133 Fred R Moore (8.8), Ps 92 Mary McLeod Bethune (8.6), Professor Juan Bosch Public School (8.7), Ps 153 Adam Clayton Powell (8.6), and Success Academy Charter School-Harlem 1 (8.7) all serve Harlem communities. Enrollment ranges from 170 to 1,553, and student-teacher ratios are consistently low, between 7.5:1 and 11.4:1. Harlem’s concentration of high-performing schools makes it one of the strongest neighborhoods for elementary education in the city.

Lower East Side / East Village — Three top-10 schools cluster in lower Manhattan: American Sign Language & English Secondary School (8.8), University Neighborhood Middle School (8.7), and Ps 15 Roberto Clemente (8.5). These schools range from 164 to 190 students with ratios between 6.4:1 and 8.2:1 — some of the smallest classes in the city. This area offers strong options across elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Brooklyn — Ps 110 Florence Nightingale (8.5) represents Brooklyn in the top 10 with 264 students and a 9.1:1 ratio. Academic score of 9.0 is among the highest in the top 10. Brooklyn’s representation is thinner than Manhattan’s here, but individual schools perform at the same level.

Citywide Arts / Specialty — Wadleigh Perf and Visual Arts (8.5) is a performing arts high school serving 349 students with an 8.9:1 ratio. Its growth score of 9.8 demonstrates that arts-focused programs can deliver strong academic gains alongside creative development.

Top 10 Deep Dives

1. American Sign Language & English Secondary School — New York’s top-ranked school at 8.8 composite serves just 174 students with a 6.4:1 student-teacher ratio — the lowest in the top 10. Academics are exceptional at 9.5, and growth at 7.9 is the only dimension below 8.0. The environment score of 7.3 is strong. This is a bilingual school focused on ASL and English, proving that specialized mission schools in NYC can produce elite academic outcomes. Ranked 5th statewide in New York.

2. Ps 133 Fred R Moore — A Harlem elementary (187 students) that matches the top score at 8.8 composite. Perfect growth (10.0) is the standout — the highest in the entire top 10, meaning every student cohort is showing maximum measurable improvement. Academics at 8.8 and environment at 7.3 are both solid. The 7.5:1 ratio gives teachers the bandwidth to deliver on that growth. Ranked 6th in New York.

3. University Neighborhood Middle School — The highest-ranked middle school in the city at 8.7, serving 164 students with an 8.2:1 ratio. Growth is perfect at 10.0, and academics hit 8.3. This school fills the most critical gap in any city’s education pipeline — quality middle school options are always scarce, and this one is exceptional. Ranked 10th statewide.

4. Professor Juan Bosch Public School — A 245-student elementary in Washington Heights scoring 8.7 composite. Academics (8.7) and growth (9.9) are both near the top of the list, and the 7.7:1 ratio is excellent. This school combines a strong academic foundation with intensive growth, suggesting effective instruction at every level. Ranked 11th in New York.

5. Success Academy Charter School-Harlem 1 — The largest school in the top 10 by far at 1,553 students, and the only charter. Academics are nearly perfect at 9.9 with strong growth at 8.3. Student-teacher ratio and environment score data are not available, which limits comparison on those dimensions. Success Academy’s results at scale are well-documented, and this campus confirms the model works in Harlem. Ranked 13th statewide.

6. Ps 92 Mary McLeod Bethune — A 170-student Harlem elementary scoring 8.6 composite. Growth (9.9) is the primary driver, with academics at 8.4 and environment at 7.3. The 11.3:1 ratio is the highest among the traditional public schools in the top 10 but still well below national averages. A consistent performer without a single weak dimension. Ranked 16th in New York.

7. Ps 153 Adam Clayton Powell — The largest traditional public school in the top 10 at 389 students, scoring 8.6 composite. Growth (9.9) and academics (8.3) are strong, and the 11.4:1 ratio is manageable for a school of this size. Named for the iconic Harlem congressman, this school delivers at a scale that most top performers can’t match. Ranked 17th statewide.

8. Ps 15 Roberto Clemente — A Lower East Side elementary (190 students) with 8.5 composite. Academics (8.8) are among the best in the top 10, and growth at 9.3 is solid. The 7.9:1 student-teacher ratio is excellent. This school’s academic profile is especially strong for an elementary in a diverse, urban neighborhood. Ranked 21st in New York.

9. Ps 110 Florence Nightingale — Brooklyn’s representative in the top 10 at 8.5 composite, serving 264 students with a 9.1:1 ratio. The academic score of 9.0 is the second-highest among traditional public schools on this list, and growth at 9.0 is consistently strong. A balanced school that excels without relying on any single dimension. Ranked 22nd statewide.

10. Wadleigh Perf and Visual Arts — This performing arts high school scores 8.5 composite with 349 students and an 8.9:1 ratio. Growth at 9.8 is exceptional for a secondary school, and academics at 8.1 are solid. The arts focus doesn’t come at the cost of academic rigor — Wadleigh demonstrates that creative programming and strong scores can coexist. Ranked 23rd in New York.

Parent Decision Framework

New York’s school market operates differently from every other city in America. Here’s what matters.

The student-teacher ratio advantage is real and unusual. The city average of 10.3:1 is dramatically better than national norms (which typically hover around 15-16:1). Among the top 10, ratios range from 6.4:1 to 11.4:1. New York’s investment in teacher staffing creates conditions that most cities can’t replicate. When comparing schools, pay attention to which ones are leveraging this advantage into growth — perfect growth scores at PS 133, University Neighborhood, and PS 153 suggest the staffing pays off.

Harlem is the city’s strongest elementary corridor. Five of the top 10 schools serve Harlem, and they span both traditional public (PS 133, PS 92, PS 153, Professor Juan Bosch) and charter (Success Academy Harlem 1). For families with elementary-age children, Harlem offers a depth of quality options that few NYC neighborhoods can match.

The high school application process is everything. NYC’s centralized high school admissions system lets students apply to programs across all five boroughs. American Sign Language & English Secondary (ranked 1st in the city) and Wadleigh Performing Arts (ranked 10th) are both specialized high schools that accept students from anywhere in the city. Start the research process in 7th grade or earlier — the best programs fill quickly and often require auditions, portfolios, or interviews.

Charter presence is modest but impactful. At 52 schools (11%), charters are a smaller share of NYC schools than in many cities. But Success Academy Harlem 1, the only charter in the top 10, enrolls 1,553 students — more than the next three top-10 schools combined. Its 9.9 academic score is the highest on the list. For families willing to enter the charter lottery, the payoff can be significant. Compare all options on the New York city page.

Middle school is the critical transition. Only one middle school cracks the top 10 (University Neighborhood Middle School), which mirrors a national pattern. NYC’s middle school landscape is thinner than its elementary and high school offerings. Review our methodology for how to evaluate middle schools, and start researching options in 4th grade.

How New York Compares

New York’s city-wide average of 5.8/10 is above the midpoint and competitive with most large American metros. For statewide context, visit the New York state page — the city’s average is strong relative to other large districts in the state, though smaller suburban districts in Westchester and Long Island tend to score higher.

The score distribution is moderately compressed. The gap between the top school (8.8) and the city average (5.8) is 3.0 points — tighter than cities like Chicago (4.0 points) or Dallas (3.8 points). This suggests more consistency across the school population, which tracks with NYC’s per-pupil spending levels and staffing ratios.

New York’s defining statistical signature is the student-teacher ratio. At 10.3:1 citywide, it’s 30-40% better than most peer cities. The top 10 schools amplify this further, averaging around 8.5:1. This level of staffing creates the conditions for the exceptional growth scores seen across the list — seven of the top 10 post growth at 9.8 or above.

Explore New York Schools

Browse all 481 New York schools with sortable filters on the New York city page — it’s the most efficient way to compare scores across boroughs and find schools near a specific address.

For deeper research, start with the American Sign Language & English Secondary School profile to see what the city’s top-scoring school looks like in detail, or explore the Harlem elementary cluster starting with PS 133 Fred R Moore.

A Closing Insight

The most striking pattern in New York’s data is uniformity in growth scores among top schools. Seven of the top 10 post growth at 9.8 or higher, and two achieve a perfect 10.0. No other major city in our dataset shows this level of consistency in student improvement among its best-performing schools. The common factor isn’t curriculum, school model, or neighborhood — it’s staffing. Every one of these schools operates with student-teacher ratios well below 12:1, and most are below 9:1.

For a relocating parent, the practical implication is clear: New York’s best schools are growth engines, and the fuel is teacher access. When evaluating NYC schools, the student-teacher ratio is a more reliable predictor of quality than the school’s name, neighborhood reputation, or even its raw academic score. A school with an 8.3 academic score and a 7.5:1 ratio (like PS 133) is producing better outcomes than many schools with higher raw scores but thinner staffing. Look for the ratio first, then check if the growth score confirms it. In a city with 481 options, that filter will narrow the field to the schools that are actually delivering the most value per student.