Best high schools in the Columbus metro area

According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.

To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.

Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.

Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.

With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Columbus metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most 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.

#25. Dublin Scioto High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Dublin City Schools, OH
- Enrollment: 1,403 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#24. Arts & College Preparatory Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 483 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#23. Reynoldsburg High School 9X Impact

- School type: Public School
- Location: Reynoldsburg City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 612 (not available student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

#22. Worthington Christian School (K-12)

- School type: Private School
- Location: Worthington, OH
- Enrollment: 1,059 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#21. Worthington Kilbourne High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Worthington City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,505 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#20. Bishop Hartley High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 706 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#19. Grandview Heights High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Grandview Heights City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 344 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#18. Cristo Rey Columbus High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 431 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#17. Orange High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Olentangy Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,977 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#16. Columbus Preparatory Academy

- School type: Public School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 819 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#15. St. Francis DeSales High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 893 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#14. Upper Arlington High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Upper Arlington Schools, OH
- Enrollment: 1,867 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#13. Olentangy Berlin High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Olentangy Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,656 (25:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#12. Columbus Torah Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 223 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#11. Olentangy Liberty High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Olentangy Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,877 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#10. Metro Early College High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 876 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#9. Olentangy High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Olentangy Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,688 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#8. St. Charles Preparatory School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 579 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

#7. Dublin Coffman High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Dublin City Schools, OH
- Enrollment: 1,868 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#6. New Albany High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: New Albany-Plain Local School District, OH
- Enrollment: 1,630 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#5. Bexley High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Bexley City School District, OH
- Enrollment: 736 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#4. Dublin Jerome High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Dublin City Schools, OH
- Enrollment: 1,953 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#3. Columbus School for Girls

- School type: Private School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 528 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#2. The Wellington School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Enrollment: 712 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

#1. Columbus Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Gahanna, OH
- Enrollment: 1,162 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.