Arizona no longer has the nation's top-ranked public high school, according to a new report from U.S. News and World Report.
But BASIS Charter Schools continued to dominate national rankings, placing 11 campuses among the country's 100 best public schools.
BASIS schools also took three spots on the list of the top five charter schools in the country, and three of the list of top five STEM high schools in the country.
Out of the top 10 best public schools in the country, Arizona failed to make the cut, with the first Arizona school coming in at No. 15. But 13 Arizona schools made the list of the top 100 for best public schools in the country. In 2024, 12 schools made the top 100, while 11 schools made it in 2025.
Charter schools are tuition-free
and operate independently of traditional public school districts, meaning they have more flexibility in the operation of the school. They still adhere to some regulations that apply to traditional public schools, such as being prohibited from charging tuition or being affiliated with a religion.
The Arizona schools that made the cut in 2026 were:
- No. 15: BASIS Oro Valley
- No. 16: BASIS Goodyear
- No. 29: BASIS Prescott
- No. 38: BASIS Chandler
- No. 42: BASIS Mesa
- No. 50: University High School (Tucson)
- No. 51: BASIS Scottsdale
- No. 52: BASIS Flagstaff
- No. 58: BASIS Tucson North
- No. 61: BASIS Ahwatukee
- No. 62: BASIS Peoria
- No. 74: BASIS Phoenix
- No. 79: Gilbert Classical Academy High School
Despite BASIS schools performing well, Arizona lost its two-year hold on the top spot. BASIS Peoria was ranked first in 2024, while BASIS Tucson North was ranked first in 2025 for the best public high school in the country.
Arizona performed well in the rankings for the best charter schools and best STEM high schools: BASIS Oro Valley was ranked second for best charter school in the country, while BASIS Goodyear was ranked third and BASIS Prescott was ranked fifth, respectively.
In the category for best STEM high schools, BASIS Ahwatukee came in second, while BASIS Chandler came in third and BASIS Scottsdale came in fifth.
LaMont Jones, managing editor of U.S. News, said BASIS Charter Schools were preparing their students well for college and other types of postsecondary education.
“They do a great job at educating students for life after high school, whatever those students want to do,” Jones said.
BASIS was founded in Tucson but has schools globally. In 2018, the charter school network in Arizona attracted controversy when records revealed it had obtained about $5 million in parent donations, in part to subsidize teacher salaries. At the time, it was reported that one of the schools was asking parents for $1,500 per child.
Overall, Arizona was ranked No. 28 among states. That category was based on which states have the largest proportion of eligible high schools in the top 25% of rankings. Last year, Arizona was ranked No. 32.
Massachusetts was ranked No. 1 both years.
How were the rankings determined?
Jones said the schools were evaluated on a range of variables based on data provided by the states. Each variable was then weighted differently. Only four states: Colorado, Maine, New York and Vermont declined to allow U.S. News to use Advanced Placement from College Board.
- College readiness (30%): This indicator took into consideration the number of students who took at least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test by the end of their senior year as well as the number of students who took and earned a qualifying score — an AP score of 3 or higher, or an IB score of 4 or higher — on at least one AP or IB test by the end of their senior year.
- College curriculum breadth (10%): This indicator took into consideration the percentage of 12th graders who took and earned qualifying scores on multiple AP or IB exams.
- State assessment proficiency (20%): This indicator took into consideration student proficiency in math, reading and science on the statewide assessment.
- State assessment performance (20%): This indicator compared state assessment scores with what U.S. News "predicted for a school with its demographic characteristics in its state." U.S. News said that schools performing best on this indicator are those whose "assessment scores far exceeded U.S. News' modeled expectations."
- Underserved student performance (10%): This indicator evaluated Black, Hispanic and low-income students' scores on state assessments compared to the "average for nonunderserved students among schools in the same state."
- Graduation rate (10%): This indicator looked at the four-year graduation rates among students who entered ninth grade during the 2020-2021 school year.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona charter schools ranked among best in country, new study shows
