A ranking of Pennsylvania's best high schools includes several in the Pittsburgh area. 

Niche has published its annual "2025 Best Schools in Pennsylvania," and private and public schools from southwestern Pennsylvania were well-represented. 

The rankings for the best public and private high schools were tallied differently, according to Niche, but both considered multiple factors and data points, including test scores and college data. 

Top 10 high schools in the Pittsburgh area

Pittsburgh is home to the three best high schools in southwestern Pennsylvania, according to Niche: Shady Side Academy, Winchester Thurston School and The Ellis School. The three schools were the only institutions from southwestern Pennsylvania ranked in Niche's top 25 in the state. 

1. Shady Side Academy
2. Winchester Thurston School
   
3. The Ellis School  
4. North Allegheny High School
5. The Kiski School
6. Sewickley Academy
7. Mt. Lebanon High School
8. Upper St. Clair High School 
9. Fox Chapel Area High School
10. South Fayette High School

Top 10 Pittsburgh-area public high schools

According to Niche's ranking:

1. North Allegheny High School 
2. Mt. Lebanon High School
3. Upper St. Clair High School
4. Fox Chapel Area High School
5. South Fayette High School
6. Peters Township High School
7. Franklin Regional Senior High School
8. Pine-Richland High School
9. Hampton High School
10. Quaker Valley High School

Pittsburgh area's top 10 private high schools

According to Niche's ranking:  

1. Shady Side Academy
2. Winchester Thurston School
3. The Ellis School
4. The Kiski School
5. Sewickley Academy
6. Central Catholic High School
7. The University School 
8. Oakland Catholic High School
9. Seton LaSalle Catholic High School
10. Aquinas Academy

Here are the best high schools in Pennsylvania

The best high schools in Pennsylvania are mostly in southeastern Pennsylvania, according to Niche. Of the top 25 schools in Pennsylvania, 19 are in the Philadelphia area. 

The best high school in Pennsylvania is Mercersburg Academy in Franklin County. The academy, according to Niche, is the 89th-best private high school in America. Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia and The Episcopal Academy in Delaware County are the second- and third-best high schools in the state, respectively. 

The full top 10 can be found below. 

1. Mercersburg Academy
2. Germantown Friends School
   
3. The Episcopal Academy
4. Linden Hall School for Girls
5. Moravian Academy
6. The Shipley School
7. Friends Select School
8. Friends' Central School
9. Grier School
10. The Agnes Irwin School