NCSSM remains atop list of best public high schools in America

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics has once again been recognized as the best public high school in America in Niche.com’s new 2026 ranking of schools in the United States.

This marks the third time in four years that NCSSM has earned the top spot nationally. More importantly for the citizens and students of North Carolina, this also marks the sixth year in a row that Niche.com has named NCSSM the top public high school in North Carolina.

The school’s A+ rating by Niche.com is based on a number of criteria that include qualifications of teachers, rigor and diversity of academic offerings, clubs and activities, parent surveys, and resources and facilities.

“We have two special campus communities and a host of high-impact programs that offer amazing students the chance to explore what’s possible for them,” says NCSSM Chancellor Todd Roberts. “Our school’s founders always envisioned that it would serve as a model for STEM and public education in North Carolina and nationally. This recognition by Niche is yet another indicator among many that, when dedicated individuals — faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the school — come together with the full support of the state and its people behind them, it’s a recipe for success.”

NCSSM was founded as a statewide public, residential high school in Durham in 1980 — and opened a second campus in Morganton in 2022 — for the purpose of expanding access to world-class educational opportunities for North Carolina’s students. Though built around an intensive STEM curriculum, the school also boasts an impressive humanities program and has expanded its reach to thousands more students from all corners of North Carolina through programs that include NCSSM Online, NCSSM Connect, Summer Ventures, and Summer Accelerator, among others.