Livingston Senior High School and Millburn High School both landed in the top 20 of Niche's 2027 Best Public High Schools in New Jersey list, released Monday, Sept. 28.
Livingston placed No. 17 and Millburn placed No. 20, according to Patch, which first reported the rankings. The analysis, conducted by the school-rating platform Niche, evaluated 93,000 public schools, 30,000 private schools and 11,000 school districts nationwide.
Both schools outranked every traditional public high school in the top 10.
The first 10 spots all went to selective schools with specialized academic programs, NJ Family reported, meaning Livingston and Millburn sit among the highest-ranked neighborhood high schools in the state.
How Niche scores schools
Academics account for 60 percent of a school's score in the 2027 methodology. Culture and diversity make up 12.5 percent. Parent and student reviews of the overall experience and teacher quality each account for 10 percent. Clubs and activities, resources and facilities, and sports each contribute 2.5 percent.
Culture and diversity and teachers are new scoring factors this year. The teachers grade draws on teacher salary, absenteeism rates, state test results and survey responses from students and parents.
Academics dominate the formula.
The rankings combine federal and state data, school statistics and more than 3 million reviews from students, parents and teachers, according to Niche.
Millburn's profile
On its Niche profile, Millburn High School earned A+ grades in academics, teachers and college prep. The school also holds Platinum distinction on the 2025 AP School Honor Roll, the highest level available. According to a February district announcement, 81 percent of Millburn seniors took at least one AP exam, and 96.2 percent of test-takers scored a 3 or higher.
Principal Robert Nixon Jr. said in that February announcement that the AP results reflect "… our collective commitment to academic excellence and the culture of high expectations that defines our school community."
What Niche's CEO said
Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, said in a news release that the updated rankings aim to give families clearer comparisons between schools. Niche this year separated its public and private school lists for categories including arts, diversity, college prep and teachers.
Neither the Livingston nor Millburn school district has issued a public statement about the Niche rankings as of Tuesday, Sept. 29. The full list of ranked New Jersey public high schools is available on Niche's website.
