WTS — World's Top Schools

The Rankings — 2026/27

World's Top Schools, Ranked.

Every ranked and candidate school in the directory, one continuous list from #1 down. Use this view when you want the full picture without switching between tiers.

This ranking is locked. The next ranking update will be on September 1, 2027. How the ranking cycle works · Why this ranking exists

Alumni league

Penny's picks

Ages
Places
Type
1591 schools

Academic Outcomes

Ranked by academic outcomes.

Weight20%Sub-criteria4
· % top grades· Flagship grade· Subjects offered· Value-added index
1

United States · Florida

Montverde Academy

On a Lake Florence campus in Central Florida, boarders from some 80 countries share dorms with a basketball program that keeps feeding the NBA draft.

Day + BoardingAges 3–18US High School Diploma · Advanced Placement

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

149

Value-added index

—

100.0

Score

2

United States · Nevada

Davidson Academy of Nevada

America's first tuition-free public school for profoundly gifted students, embedded on a university campus in Reno.

DayAges 11–18American · AP

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

10

Value-added index

0.9

98.0

Score

3

Australia · New South Wales

James Ruse Agricultural High School

Where selective-school rigor meets compulsory farm science, on a five-hectare campus in Sydney's north-west.

DayAges 12–18Australian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

90.0

Score

4

Japan · Tokyo

Tsukuba University Senior High School at Komaba

Japan's only national boys' school pairs a historic rice-paddy tradition with an uncommonly free path into the University of Tokyo.

DayAges 15–18Japanese National

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

90.0

Score

5

Singapore · Singapore

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

Singapore's first IB Diploma school, this Methodist boys' campus on Dover Road has ranked among the world's top three IB scorers for years.

DayAges 3–18British · IB

% top grades

76%

6+

Flagship grade

36/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

41

Value-added index

1.2

90.0

Score

6

Australia · Victoria

The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School

Selective by exam, housed in a 1934 heritage-listed landmark by Albert Park Lake, with a VCE record built over decades.

DayAges 15–18Australian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

90.0

Score

7

France · Île-de-France

Lycée Louis-le-Grand

A Jesuit foundation from 1563 in the Latin Quarter, its prepa classes top national rankings across nearly every track.

BothAges 15–20French Baccalaureate

% top grades

69.9%

Flagship grade

53.7%

Subjects offered

18

Value-added index

1.2

90.0

Score

8

France · Île-de-France

Lycée Henri-IV

Storied Left Bank lycée prizing the French Bac and its feeder classes préparatoires to France's grandes écoles.

DayAges 15–20French Baccalaureate

% top grades

62%

Flagship grade

47%

Subjects offered

18

Value-added index

1.3

89.0

Score

9

Japan · Hyōgo Prefecture

Nada High School

Founded by Kobe sake brewers with judo's creator as an advisor, this uniform-free campus channels students straight into Tokyo and Kyoto University.

DayAges 3–18IB · American

% top grades

45%

A/A-

Flagship grade

65%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

30

Value-added index

1.1

89.0

Score

10

Singapore · Singapore

NUS High School of Math and Science

Six years, no O-levels, no A-levels -- just a bespoke diploma built around university-level math and science modules.

DayAges 12–18Singapore National

% top grades

72%

A*/7

Flagship grade

0%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

42

Value-added index

1.2

89.0

Score

11

Japan · Tokyo

Kaisei Academy

An 1871 all-boys day school in one of Tokyo's densest wards, a perennial University of Tokyo feeder now adding IB and AP tracks abroad.

DayAges 3–18IB · American

% top grades

0%

A/A-

Flagship grade

55%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

22

Value-added index

1.0

88.0

Score

12

China · Beijing

High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China

Set in the heart of Beijing's education precinct, this Renmin University affiliate has nurtured Olympiad champions since gifted classes began in 1978.

DayAges 12–18Chinese National

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

88.0

Score

13

India · Maharashtra

Dhirubhai Ambani International School

In the heart of Bandra-Kurla Complex, three curricula converge to produce some of India's highest IB Diploma averages.

DayAges 11–18IB · Indian National

% top grades

82%

6+

Flagship grade

33/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

28

Value-added index

1.2

88.0

Score

14

Singapore · Singapore

Raffles Institution

Verified

Founded in 1823 as Singapore's first school, its Raffles Programme now sends more students to Cambridge than any other institution.

DayAges 13–18British

% top grades

92%

A*/7

Flagship grade

36%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

45

Value-added index

1.3

87.0

Score

15

Brazil · Ceará

Colégio Ari de Sá Cavalcante

Named for a self-taught Ceara educator, its Fortaleza campuses rank among Brazil's top ENEM performers nationwide.

DayAges 3–18Brazilian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

87.0

Score

16

Australia · New South Wales

Sydney Girls High School

NSW's oldest state girls' school, built in 1916 on the old Moore Park zoo site, still selective-entry and HSC-strong.

DayAges 12–18Australian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

87.0

Score

17

Australia · Victoria

Melbourne High School

Victoria's only academically selective boys' school, its hilltop South Yarra campus earning the nickname Castle on the Hill.

DayAges 15–18Australian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

87.0

Score

18

United States · New York

Collegiate School

Tracing its roots to 1628 in New Amsterdam, this Upper West Side all-boys day school claims the title of America's oldest independent school.

DayAges 5–18American

% top grades

72%

A/A-

Flagship grade

82%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

32

Value-added index

1.2

87.0

Score

19

Singapore · Singapore

Hwa Chong Institution

Singapore's storied merged independent school, pairing its Integrated Programme with an IB track at its Bukit Timah campus.

DayAges 3–18British · IB

% top grades

84%

6+

Flagship grade

40/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

42

Value-added index

1.3

87.0

Score

20

United States · Virginia

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

A Fairfax County magnet where every senior completes original research across fifteen specialized STEM labs.

DayAges 14–18American

% top grades

75%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

45

Value-added index

1.4

87.0

Score

21

Australia · New South Wales

Sydney Boys High School

Australia's first state high school, and still the only government member of the elite GPS sporting competition, steps from the Moore Park precinct.

DayAges 12–18Australian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

86.0

Score

22

Australia · New South Wales

North Sydney Boys High School

The selective boys' school on the Lower North Shore that ended James Ruse's 27-year grip on the HSC top spot

DayAges 12–18Australian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

86.0

Score

23

China · Beijing

The High School Affiliated to Tsinghua University

New · 2026/27

Beside the Old Summer Palace and Tsinghua's gates, this century-old Haidian school channels university rigor into elite gaokao prep.

DayAges 12–18Chinese National

% top grades

95%

A*/7

Flagship grade

60%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

62

Value-added index

60

86.0

Score

24

United States · New York

Stuyvesant High School

A single exam and a sub-3-percent acceptance rate feed a Battery Park City engine for math, science and technology talent.

DayAges 14–18American

% top grades

0%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

54

Value-added index

1.2

86.0

Score

25

Japan · Shinjuku-ku

Kaijo Junior and Senior High School

A former naval officers' academy in Shinjuku, now a boys' school whose deliberately non-streamed classrooms feed a steady stream into Tokyo University.

DayAges 12–18Japanese National

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

86.0

Score

26

Canada · Ontario

University of Toronto Schools

Admission decided purely by competitive exam at Canada's only university-affiliated prep school, embedded in U of T's downtown Bloor Street campus since 1910.

DayAges 3–18Canadian · American

% top grades

47%

A/A-

Flagship grade

37.9%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

53

Value-added index

1.6

86.0

Score

27

United Kingdom · Greater London

The Henrietta Barnett School

Good

A free, fiercely oversubscribed girls' grammar in Lutyens' Hampstead Garden Suburb, sending dozens each year to Oxbridge.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

63.1%

A*/7

Flagship grade

47%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

53

Value-added index

1.7

86.0

Score

28

United Kingdom · Greater London

King's College School, Wimbledon

ISI · 2025

Beside Wimbledon Common, a Royal Charter school where sixth-formers choose A-levels or the IB and rank among England's very best in both.

DayAges 7–18British

% top grades

82%

A*/7

Flagship grade

84.7%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

31

Value-added index

1.2

86.0

Score

29

China · Beijing

Beijing No. 4 High School

Founded in 1907 by the old imperial walls, this Xicheng day school blends strong gaokao results with electives from physics to cuisine.

DayAges 12–18Chinese National

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

86.0

Score

30

United Kingdom · Hertfordshire

Haberdashers' Girls' School

Single-sex teaching by day, shared sixth-form classes by choice, on a 100-acre Hertfordshire campus built for top 0.5% GCSE results

DayAges 4–18British

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

86.0

Score

31

United Kingdom · Hertfordshire

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet

A 1573 royal charter grammar school that still tops England's grammar-school A-level tables -- and is now exporting its model to Dubai.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

67.7%

A*/7

Flagship grade

47.6%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

58

Value-added index

1.7

86.0

Score

32

Vietnam · Hanoi

VNU University of Science High School for the Gifted

Born in 1965 as Vietnam's first specialized math class, this 6-percent-acceptance school now leads the country in science olympiad medals.

DayAges 15–18Vietnamese

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

85.0

Score

33

Vietnam · Ho Chi Minh City

Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted

Born in 1927 as Petrus Ky, this Saigon academy now out-medals every rival school at Vietnam's national science olympiads.

DayAges 15–18Vietnamese

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

85.0

Score

34

United States · New Jersey

High Technology High School

A 284-student engineering magnet in Monmouth County where civil design and digital electronics substitute for standard electives.

DayAges 14–18American · AP

% top grades

81%

A/A-

Flagship grade

98%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

75

Value-added index

1.2

85.0

Score

35

Japan · Minato-ku

Azabu Junior and Senior High School

No uniforms, no rulebook, just self-directed rigor on a Minato hilltop that sends a third of graduates to Tokyo University.

DayAges 12–18Japanese National

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

85.0

Score

36

United States · Massachusetts

Boston Latin School

Founded in 1635, America's first public school still tests every applicant, predating Harvard by more than a year.

DayAges 12–18American · AP

% top grades

72%

A/A-

Flagship grade

80%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

32

Value-added index

1.3

85.0

Score

37

United Kingdom · Greater London

St Paul's School

ISI · 2025

A 1509 founding charter to teach boys 'from all nacions and countres indifferently' still anchors this riverside Barnes campus on the Thames.

BothAges 7–18British

% top grades

75%

A*/7

Flagship grade

83%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

33

Value-added index

1.2

85.0

Score

38

United States · New York

Hunter College High School

A tuition-free CUNY-run gifted school on the Upper East Side, admitting by a single brutal exam and about 7 percent of applicants.

DayAges 12–18American

% top grades

0%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

32

Value-added index

1.2

85.0

Score

39

South Korea · Busan

Korea Science Academy of KAIST

Korea's only national gifted-science school, running an ungraded, research-driven curriculum with direct KAIST credit transfer from its Busan campus.

BoardingAges 15–18Korean

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

85.0

Score

40

South Korea · Jeju Province

North London Collegiate School Jeju

Founding school of Jeju's Global Education City, blending a 170-year London pedigree with strong IB results and seven boarding houses.

BothAges 3–18IB

% top grades

68%

6+

Flagship grade

—

IB avg

Subjects offered

45

Value-added index

1.0

85.0

Score

41

United Kingdom · Greater London

St Paul's Girls' School

ISI · 2024

A Hammersmith day school where admission itself is the only scholarship, and GCSE results already top the national table.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

85.0

Score

42

United States · Arizona

BASIS Chandler

Where compulsory Advanced Placement from ninth grade fuels a No. 2 national STEM ranking and a 2024 Blue Ribbon distinction.

DayAges 10–18American (US High School Diploma) · AP (Advanced Placement)

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

85.0

Score

43

United States · Illinois

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

A tuition-free state laboratory in Aurora where a fifth of the school week is reserved for original research, not lectures.

Boarding + DayAges 11–18American · AP

% top grades

66%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

26

Value-added index

1.1

85.0

Score

44

United States · Texas

Duncanville High School

In this Dallas-suburb powerhouse, a four-decade band dynasty holds dual Sudler honors alongside a Grammy Signature choir.

DayAges 14–18US High School Diploma · Advanced Placement

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

73

Value-added index

—

85.0

Score

45

United States · North Carolina

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

America's first public residential STEM high school, a Durham model tuition-free program now replicated by eighteen sister schools worldwide.

BoardingAges 16–18American · AP

% top grades

52.2%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

49

Value-added index

0.9

84.0

Score

46

United Kingdom · Oxfordshire

Magdalen College School

ISI · 2023

Educating Magdalen College's choristers since 1480, this Oxford day school is now opening its ancient choir stalls to girls for the first time.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

77%

A*/7

Flagship grade

89%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

31

Value-added index

1.2

84.0

Score

47

Vietnam · District 7

Saigon South International School

Vietnam's only Apple Distinguished School, pairing full IB Diploma depth with AP breadth on a non-profit Phu My Hung campus.

DayAges 3–18American · IB

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

84.0

Score

48

Hong Kong · Hong Kong

Queen's College

Founded in 1862, Hong Kong's first government secondary school still runs the world's oldest Anglo-Chinese school magazine.

DayAges 5–18Hong Kong DSE

% top grades

59%

A*/7

Flagship grade

42.8%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

50

Value-added index

1.7

84.0

Score

49

Japan · Chiba Prefecture

Shibuya Makuhari School

Founded to help Japanese returnee students readjust, this reclaimed-land Makuhari campus now funnels graduates into Waseda and Keio by the hundreds.

DayAges 15–18Japanese National

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

84.0

Score

50

Singapore · Singapore

Raffles Girls' School

Singapore's storied all-girls secondary school offering a seamless six-year Integrated Programme from Secondary 1 through to A-Levels.

DayAges 3–18IGCSE · A-Level

% top grades

64.9%

A*/7

Flagship grade

50.7%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

58

Value-added index

1.8

84.0

Score

51

Vietnam · District 2

British International School Ho Chi Minh City

Three Thao Dien campuses carry students from England's National Curriculum through IGCSE into the IB Diploma.

DayAges 2–18British · IB

% top grades

—

6+

Flagship grade

—

IB avg

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

84.0

Score

52

Colombia · Cundinamarca

Colegio Los Nogales

One of Colombia's earliest IB adopters, running its own campus bio-refuge and a grade-11-led house system in the Bogota foothills.

DayAges 3–18IB

% top grades

—

6+

Flagship grade

—

IB avg

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

84.0

Score

53

Australia · New South Wales

Sydney Grammar School

A College Street institution since 1857, pairing classical Latin and Greek study with the state's highest-placed independent-school HSC results.

DayAges 3–18Australian

% top grades

78%

A*/7

Flagship grade

0%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

25

Value-added index

1.2

84.0

Score

54

Ireland · County Dublin

St. Kilian's Deutsche Schule Dublin

A 1950s refugee-aid charity's legacy now runs a dual-track Abitur and Leaving Cert campus shared with a French lycee in Clonskeagh.

DayAges 3–18German Abitur

% top grades

—

Flagship grade

—

Subjects offered

29

Value-added index

1.0

84.0

Score

55

South Korea · Gangwon Province

Korean Minjok Leadership Academy

On a Gangwon mountainside, hanbok-uniformed students hold English-only seminars, chasing an IB curriculum built to rival Eton.

BothAges 3–18IB · American

% top grades

72%

A/A-

Flagship grade

85%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

28

Value-added index

1.2

84.0

Score

56

Japan · Nerima-ku

Musashi High School

No uniform, no hairstyle rules, no dress code -- just a century-old Nerima campus where boys pursue funded independent research projects

DayAges 12–18Japanese National

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

84.0

Score

57

United States · Washington

Lakeside School

On a wooded 33-acre campus above Lake Washington, a no-AP curriculum sets a rigor bar that exceeds the College Board's own.

DayAges 10–18American

% top grades

72%

A/A-

Flagship grade

92%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

23

Value-added index

1.2

84.0

Score

58

Australia · New South Wales

North Sydney Girls High School

A fully selective North Shore powerhouse where rigorous HSC results run alongside a music program that tours internationally.

DayAges 12–18Australian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

84.0

Score

59

China · Shanghai

Shanghai High School International Division

Grown from a 19th-century public school in Xuhui, its IB cohort has averaged 41 points for fifteen straight years.

BothAges 3–18IB · American

% top grades

68%

A/A-

Flagship grade

44%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

24

Value-added index

1.1

84.0

Score

60

United Kingdom · Greater London

Wilson's School

Outstanding

A 1615 charity foundation turned super-selective grammar, thriving on a former Croydon airfield with a sharp focus on maths and computing.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

60%

A*/7

Flagship grade

47.2%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

46

Value-added index

1.7

84.0

Score

61

United States · New Jersey

Bergen County Academies

Seven college-style academies and on-campus stem-cell, nanotech, and optics labs turn Hackensack teens into Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars.

DayAges 14–18American

% top grades

64.6%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

46

Value-added index

1.3

84.0

Score

62

United Kingdom · Berkshire

Reading School

Outstanding

Founded within Reading Abbey in 1125, this selective state grammar for boys still sends the bulk of its leavers to Russell Group and Oxbridge places.

BothAges 11–18British

% top grades

60.3%

A*/7

Flagship grade

49.2%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

50

Value-added index

1.7

84.0

Score

63

United Kingdom · Essex

Colchester Royal Grammar School

A state grammar bearing two royal charters, from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I, with its own boarding house and a science-and-languages bent.

BothAges 11–18British

% top grades

64.2%

A*/7

Flagship grade

52.4%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

57

Value-added index

1.7

84.0

Score

64

United Kingdom · Greater London

North London Collegiate School

ISI · 2024

Founded in 1850 as Britain's first day school giving girls a boys'-standard education, it still tops national GCSE and A-level tables from its Edgware campus.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

72%

A*/7

Flagship grade

83%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

32

Value-added index

0

84.0

Score

65

United States · New York

The Bronx High School of Science

A Bronx public school whose exam-only admissions have produced more Nobel physics laureates than any other U.S. high school.

DayAges 14–18American

% top grades

0%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

34

Value-added index

1.7

84.0

Score

66

Brazil · São Paulo

Colégio Etapa

Born from a vestibular cram course, this Sao Paulo school now claims 8 of Brazil's 15 Math Olympiad golds since 1998.

DayAges 11–18Brazilian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

84.0

Score

67

United States · New York

Regis High School

The only tuition-free Jesuit high school in America, drawing scholarship boys from across New York for a merit-based education.

DayAges 3–18American

% top grades

0%

A/A-

Flagship grade

95%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

25

Value-added index

1.2

84.0

Score

68

United States · California

The Nueva School

Since 1967, a Bay Area laboratory for gifted minds, pairing design thinking with the country's first dedicated social-emotional learning curriculum.

DayAges 3–18American

% top grades

72%

A/A-

Flagship grade

88%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

33

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

69

Singapore · Singapore

Nanyang Girls' High School

Founded in 1917, this Bukit Timah SAP school blends bilingual rigor with a six-year IP pathway feeding straight into Hwa Chong Institution.

DayAges 3–18IP (Integrated Programme)

% top grades

65.6%

A*/7

Flagship grade

53.5%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

56

Value-added index

1.7

83.0

Score

70

United Kingdom · Greater London

Godolphin and Latymer School

ISI · 2025

A Thames-side Hammersmith campus where IB scores rank among the world's top ten and six houses bear the names of trailblazing women

DayAges 11–18IB · British

% top grades

82%

6+

Flagship grade

84/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

20

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

71

United Kingdom · Cambridgeshire

The Perse School

ISI · 2026

Founded in 1615 as a free grammar school, Cambridge's oldest secondary keeps classics and coding on equal footing en route to Oxbridge.

DayAges 3–18British

% top grades

72%

A*/7

Flagship grade

86%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

36

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

72

United Kingdom · Greater London

Tiffin School

Good

No fees, no let-up: a Kingston grammar school where two-stage testing turns 2,000 hopefuls into a class of 180.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

57.1%

A*/7

Flagship grade

49.6%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

52

Value-added index

1.6

83.0

Score

73

Brazil · Paraíso

Colégio Bandeirantes

Since 1934 in Vila Mariana, the school that pioneered Brazil's live presidential debates now tops ENEM leaderboards statewide.

DayAges 10–18Brazilian

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

83.0

Score

74

United Kingdom · Europe

St Olave's Grammar School

Orpington’s 1571 boys’ grammar with co-ed sixth form

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

71.7%

A*/7

Flagship grade

58.2%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

57

Value-added index

1.8

83.0

Score

75

France · Île-de-France

Lycée Hoche

Scientific and economics prep classes taught inside an 18th-century convent listed as a historic monument steps from the chateau

DayAges 15–20Baccalauréat · Classes préparatoires

% top grades

0%

Flagship grade

2.7%

Subjects offered

35

Value-added index

1

83.0

Score

76

United States · Massachusetts

Commonwealth School

Verified

In Back Bay brownstones, a 150-student cohort takes college-level seminars from set theory to Shakespeare

DayAges 3–18American

% top grades

72%

A/A-

Flagship grade

92%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

26

Value-added index

1.0

83.0

Score

77

United States · Pennsylvania

Julia R. Masterman Secondary School

A North Philadelphia public magnet where fifth-graders enter at a 3 percent acceptance rate and the payoff is a top-10 U.S. News ranking.

DayAges 10–18American

% top grades

95%

A/A-

Flagship grade

86%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

36

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

78

United Arab Emirates · Dubai

Dubai College

Born of a 1978 royal decree to build a school here, this secondary-only campus fuels a steady stream of Oxbridge offers.

DayAges 3–18British

% top grades

62%

A*/7

Flagship grade

51.3%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

38

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

79

United Kingdom · Kent

The Judd School

A boys' grammar with a co-educational sixth form, where music and mathematics specialisms sharpen a steady flow of leavers into Oxbridge

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

59.8%

A*/7

Flagship grade

45.3%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

48

Value-added index

1.7

83.0

Score

80

United Kingdom · Greater London

The Latymer School

A 400-year-old state grammar in Edmonton where over 1,000 applicants compete yearly for just 192 places, with Cambridge college endowments still funding leavers.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

58.4%

A*/7

Flagship grade

42.2%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

51

Value-added index

1.7

83.0

Score

81

United States · California

Canyon Crest Academy

A 4x4 block schedule and pre-professional arts conservatories fuel a STEM-and-stage culture in suburban San Diego.

DayAges 13–18American

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

83.0

Score

82

Hong Kong · Hong Kong

La Salle College

Rebuilt after wartime requisition as a hospital, this Kowloon City boys' school still runs on Lasallian discipline and DSE top-scorers.

DayAges 5–18Hong Kong DSE

% top grades

58.8%

A*/7

Flagship grade

42.8%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

50

Value-added index

1.7

83.0

Score

83

Japan · Tokyo

K. International School Tokyo

Tucked in Koto-ku's Kiyosumi-Shirakawa district, a full IB continuum school whose diploma scores have topped Japan's rankings since 2015.

DayAges 3–18IB

% top grades

67.8%

6+

Flagship grade

42/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

23

Value-added index

1.4

83.0

Score

84

United States · New York

Trinity School

Founded in 1709 as a charity school, now the oldest continuously operating school in New York City, still built on a rare full Classics department

DayAges 5–18American

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

83.0

Score

85

United Kingdom · Greater London

City of London School for Girls

ISI · 2025

Wedged between brutalist towers and the old Roman city wall, a rigorously academic day school with the capital as its classroom.

DayAges 11–18British

% top grades

74%

A*/7

Flagship grade

89%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

31

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

86

United States · Massachusetts

The Roxbury Latin School

In West Roxbury, a boys' day school founded in 1645 has run continuously ever since, prizing 6:1 mentorship over scale.

DayAges 12–18American

% top grades

72%

A/A-

Flagship grade

82%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

32

Value-added index

1.0

83.0

Score

87

United States · District of Columbia

Sidwell Friends School

Weekly silent worship and a world-first Platinum-rated campus root Quaker inquiry steps from the Capitol.

DayAges 3–18American

% top grades

0%

A/A-

Flagship grade

85%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

45

Value-added index

1.0

83.0

Score

88

Hong Kong · Hong Kong

St. Paul's Co-educational College

Hong Kong's first co-educational school runs DSE and IB side by side on its Mid-Levels campus, posting the city's top IB averages.

DayAges 3–18IB · HKDSE

% top grades

74%

6+

Flagship grade

38/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

44

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

89

United Kingdom · Buckinghamshire

Wycombe Abbey

ISI · 2025

A Victorian pioneer's 1896 foundation, this Chiltern hills estate blends mixed-age boarding houses with one-in-five Oxbridge offers.

BothAges 11–18British

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

75.9%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

17

Value-added index

—

83.0

Score

90

United States · New York

The Brearley School

Founded in 1884 to match boys' schools in rigor, this Upper East Side day school still leads girls' education in humanities and Ivy placement.

DayAges 5–18American

% top grades

36%

A/A-

Flagship grade

92%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

34

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

91

United Kingdom · Greater London

Westminster School

ISI · 2024

Sandwiched between Parliament and the Abbey, its Latin prayers and ancient halls send close to half of leavers on to Oxford or Cambridge.

BothAges 13–18British

% top grades

79%

A*/7

Flagship grade

82%

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

32

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

92

Hong Kong · Hong Kong

Diocesan Girls' School

Since 1860, this Kowloon institution has topped Hong Kong's Outstanding Student Awards tally for decades.

DayAges 3–18HKDSE

% top grades

86%

6+

Flagship grade

40/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

24

Value-added index

1.2

83.0

Score

93

United States · California

The Harker School

In Silicon Valley's backyard, a student-run research symposium turns science fair projects into published papers.

DayAges 3–18American

% top grades

63.2%

A/A-

Flagship grade

99%

AP 3+

Subjects offered

51

Value-added index

1.7

82.0

Score

94

United Kingdom · Gloucestershire

Cheltenham Ladies' College

ISI · 2025

Since 1853, a pioneer of girls' academic education, still topping national IB Diploma tables among UK boarding schools.

BothAges 11–18IB

% top grades

80%

6+

Flagship grade

84/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

90

Value-added index

1.2

82.0

Score

95

Japan · Nara Prefecture

Nishi-Yamato Gakuen

A Nara hillside campus where a Super Science High School pipeline and boys' boarding houses feed steady streams into Tokyo and Kyoto University.

DayAges 15–18Japanese National

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

82.0

Score

96

Ireland · Dublin

St. Columba's College

A seven-day boarding rhythm and a Butterfield-designed chapel anchor this Church of Ireland enclave in the Dublin foothills.

BothAges 11–18Irish Junior Cycle · Leaving Certificate

% top grades

—

A*/7

Flagship grade

—

A-Level A*/A

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

82.0

Score

97

South Korea · Seocho-gu

Dulwich College Seoul

In Seoul's Banpo district, a Dulwich campus pairs British day schooling with IB averages some six points above the global mean.

DayAges 3–18British · IB

% top grades

53.1%

6+

Flagship grade

46.1/45

IB avg

Subjects offered

47

Value-added index

1.6

82.0

Score

98

United States · California

Troy High School

Home to Troy Tech, Orange County's original STEM magnet, pairing a four-year technology curriculum with a required senior-year industry internship.

DayAges 13–18American

% top grades

—

A/A-

Flagship grade

—

AP 3+

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

82.0

Score

99

Thailand · Bangkok

Shrewsbury International School Bangkok

BSO · Outstanding

A 1552 English public-school pedigree anchors a Chao Phraya riverside campus reachable by its own school boat.

DayAges 3–18IB · British

% top grades

—

6+

Flagship grade

—

IB avg

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

82.0

Score

100

India · Haryana

The Shri Ram School

Delhi NCR’s sought-after secular day school across four campuses

DayAges 4–18Indian National

% top grades

—

6+

Flagship grade

—

IB avg

Subjects offered

—

Value-added index

—

82.0

Score

Methodology

How we rank

Our composite weights eight categories. Each is scored 0–100 by our editorial panel and audited against 30 sub-criteria drawn from school records, university placement audits, alumni surveys, campus visits and parent interviews. Schools cannot pay for placement or preview scores.

Weighting

  • Academic Outcomes20%
  • University Placement17%
  • Prestige & Heritage13%
  • Alumni Network13%
  • Facilities13%
  • Transparency & Communications8%
  • Peer & Industry Review10%
  • Admissions Selectivity & Demand8%

Score key

Reading the scores

Every category, sub-criterion and composite total across this issue uses the same six-band editorial palette. Bands are calibrated against the full 300-school cohort — a "Distinguished" mark is meaningfully harder to earn than a "Strong" one.

  • Exceptional
    90–100

    Top of cohort

  • Distinguished
    80–89

    Elite tier

  • Strong
    70–79

    Consistently high

  • Solid
    60–69

    Reliable performer

  • Average
    50–59

    Room to grow

  • Below par
    < 50

    Underperforming

The same colour bands are used inside each school profile, on category chips, radar charts and the annual score-history line — so a colour glimpsed on the Rankings page always means the same thing everywhere else.