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These are the 50 best school districts in US for 2025, report finds

Jeremy Tanner

Related video: See the 2025 ‘best value colleges’ in America

(NEXSTAR) — Choosing where to live could come down to the strength of the school district for many parents, and a new study ranks the top 50 in the nation.


Niche, an education research and rankings platform, weighed data for over 11,000 school districts for its annual selection. The rankings are based on ratings from current students, alumni and parents, along with quantitative data from the U.S. Department of Education.

The study comes at a time when young students across the country are still trying to recover from “historic” learning setbacks caused by the pandemic. After a record injection of $190 billion in federal dollars, some students’ test scores have improved but millions are still behind, a June analysis found.

“Choosing the right school for our children can have a real ripple effect on their lives — from career path and earning potential to how they’ll contribute to society,” said Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, in a press release. “Our annual K-12 rankings empower families to make informed decisions and help lay a strong foundation for their children’s futures.”

The top district overall remains unchanged for the fourth straight year — Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125 in Lincolnshire, Illinois. The district has nearly 5,000 students and received the highest possible rating for academics, teachers, clubs and activities, college prep and administration.

In fact, the greater Chicago area swept the top three spots with Cook County’s Glenbrook High School District 225 and Evanston Township High School District No. 202 in second and third, respectively.

See the top 50 districts in the country, according to Niche, below:

RankSchool DistrictCounty Metro AreaState
1Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125Lake CountyChicago AreaIllinois
2Glenbrook High School District 225Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois
3Evanston Township High School District No. 202Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois
4East Williston Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York
5Syosset Central School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York
6Ladue School DistrictSt. Louis CountySt. Louis AreaMissouri
7Eanes Independent School DistrictTravis CountyAustin AreaTexas
8Palo Alto Unified School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia
9Township High School District No. 113Lake CountyChicago AreaIllinois
10Jericho Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York
11Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia
12Hinsdale Township High School District No. 86DuPage CountyChicago AreaIllinois
13San Dieguito Union High School DistrictSan Diego CountySan Diego AreaCalifornia
14West Lafayette Community School CorporationTippecanoe County
Indiana
15Roslyn Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York
16Community High School District 128Lake CountyChicago AreaIllinois
17Radnor Township School DistrictDelaware CountyPhiladelphia AreaPennsylvania
18Township High School District No. 211Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois
19Scarsdale Union Free School DistrictWestchester CountyNew York City AreaNew York
20Half Hollow Hills Central School DistrictSuffolk CountyNew York City AreaNew York
21Novi Community School DistrictOakland CountyDetroit AreaMichigan
22Buford City SchoolsGwinnett CountyAtlanta AreaGeorgia
23Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia
24North Allegheny School DistrictAllegheny CountyPittsburgh AreaPennsylvania
25Great Neck Public SchoolsNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York
26Niles Township Community High School District No. 219Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois
27South Texas Independent School DistrictHidalgo CountyBrownsville AreaTexas
28Barrington Community Unit School District No. 220Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois
29Indian Prairie Community Unit School District No. 204DuPage CountyChicago AreaIllinois
30New Canaan Public SchoolsFairfield CountyNew York City AreaConnecticut
31School District of ClaytonSt. Louis CountySt. Louis AreaMissouri
32Tredyffrin-Easttown School DistrictChester CountyPhiladelphia AreaPennsylvania
33Homewood City SchoolsJefferson CountyBirmingham AreaAlabama
34Westport School DistrictFairfield CountyNew York City AreaConnecticut
36\5Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York
36Weston Public SchoolsMiddlesex CountyBoston AreaMassachusetts
37Northern Valley Regional High School DistrictBergen CountyNew York City AreaNew Jersey
38Princeton Public SchoolsMercer County
New Jersey
39Public Schools of BrooklineNorfolk CountyBoston AreaMassachusetts
40Redondo Beach Unified School DistrictLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles AreaCalifornia
41Naperville Community Unit School District No. 203DuPage CountyChicago AreaIllinois
42Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School DistrictLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles AreaCalifornia
43Wayzata Public SchoolsHennepin CountyMinneapolis-St. Paul AreaMinnesota
44Northville Public SchoolsWayne CountyDetroit AreaMichigan
45Fremont Union High School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia
46Township High School District No. 214Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois
47Herricks Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York
48South Pasadena Unified School DistrictLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles AreaCalifornia
49Northern Utah Academy for Math Engineering & Science (Nuames)Davis CountySalt Lake City AreaUtah
50Elmbrook School DistrictWaukesha CountyMilwaukee AreaWisconsin
(Niche)

Niche, which says its goal is to modernize the way students and families choose schools, has rankings on a number of topics when it comes to education, ranging from the top party schools to the best value colleges in America.