Six Knox County high schools are among Tennessee's 100 best, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking released Aug. 18, and one even broke into the top 5.
On top of that, 13 of 18 Knox County high schools rank among the Volunteer State's top 500.
Here's where Knox County high schools rank among Tennessee's best, according to U.S. News.
L&N STEM Academy ranked 5 in Tennessee
L&N STEM Academy is the No. 5 high school in Tennessee in the U.S. News ranking this year. L&N is the only East Tennessee school to crack the top 5, and moved up from its 2025 ranking at No. 6.
U.S. News ranked L&N at No. 219 nationally.
Since opening in 2011, L&N has been a top performer in KCS and in Tennessee. It's a small magnet high school based downtown Knoxville for students who want to focus
on science, technology, engineering and math.
Farragut High School ranked No. 18 in Tennessee
Farragut, the next-highest KCS school, snagged the No. 18 spot in Tennessee. This is down from its 13th place finish in 2025. As the largest high school in KCS, Farragut enrolls nearly 2,100 students and was ranked No. 963 nationally.
Bearden High School ranked No. 32 in Tennessee
Bearden High School finished next as No. 32nd in Tennessee rankings. Bearden finished 38th in Tennessee last year. The school enrolls nearly 2,000 students in western Knoxville and Knox County.
West High School ranked No. 33 in Tennessee
West High School also improved upon its 2025 rankings, finishing in 33rd place in Tennessee compared to 39th last year. West enrolls nearly 1,500 students.
Hardin Valley Academy ranked No. 53 in Tennessee
Hardin Valley Academy placed at No. 53 this year, an improvement over its 57th-place finish in 2025. The campus, enrolling nearly 2,000 students, is in the northwest part of the county.
How other KCS high schools ranked
Here's how other KCS high schools fared in this year's rankings:
- No. 166: Career Magnet Academy
- No. 181: Halls High School
- No. 195: Gibbs High School
- No. 196: Karns High School
- No. 214: Powell High School
- No. 216: South-Doyle High School
- No. 223: Central High School
- No. 256: Carter High School
The only KCS schools to go unranked were Richard Yoakley, Ridgedale Alternative and the Knox Adaptive Education Center.
How other East Tennessee schools ranked
Chatt High Center for Creative Arts is the only other East Tennessee school in the top 10. It is ranked No. 9.
Two Johnson City schools made it into the top 20: University School (13th) and Science High School (20th). Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport secured a spot in 37th this year, while Tennessee High School in Bristol snagged 47th.
Closer to home, Maryville High School secured No. 30 while Oak Ridge High School placed 35th this year. Alcoa High School made the top 50 at 46th.
2026 Top Tennessee high schools
- Central Magnet School (Murfreesboro, No. 1 nationally)
- Merrol Hyde Magnet School (Hendersonville, No. 27 nationally)
- Hume Fogg Magnet High School (Nashville, No. 32 nationally)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School (Nashville, No. 85 nationally)
- L&N STEM Academy (Knoxville, No. 219 nationally)
- Brentwood High School (Brentwood, No. 220 nationally)
- Ravenwood High School (Brentwood, No. 283 nationally)
- Valor Flagship Academy (Nashville, No. 421 nationally)
- Chatt High Center for Creative Arts (Chattanooga, No. 477 nationally)
- Franklin High School (Franklin, No. 489 nationally)
Caitlyn Meisner is the K-12 education reporter for Knox News. Email tips and story ideas to caitlyn.meisner@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: See which Knox County high school moved up to No. 5 in Tennessee
