Millburn High School placed No. 15 in New Jersey and No. 294 nationally in the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings, making it the highest-ranked traditional public high school in the state.
All 14 schools above Millburn on the state list are magnet or vocational-technical schools with selective admissions, according to NJ Family. The ranking places Millburn ahead of every open-enrollment high school in New Jersey.
The school posted a 98% graduation rate, a college readiness score of 74.4 out of 100, and an enrollment of 1,380 students, Daily Voice reported.
How neighbors compare
Livingston High School landed at No. 25 in the state and No. 411 nationally, with a 98% graduation rate and a college readiness score of 72.1. Its enrollment stands at 2,081 students.
Summit Senior High School came in at No. 30 statewide and No. 499 nationally, with a 95% graduation rate and a 66.6 college readiness score.
Further down the list: Chatham High School ranked No. 38 in New Jersey (No. 625 nationally), New Providence High School No. 48 (No. 808 nationally), and Madison High School No. 50 (No. 851 nationally).
A seven-district comparison published Tuesday, Aug. 25 on nj21st.com, written by an unnamed Millburn district educator, found that Millburn, Summit and Chatham topped the group. New Providence rose above Westfield, Madison and Governor Livingston.
What the rankings measure
U.S. News evaluated nearly 18,000 public high schools nationwide using six weighted factors: college readiness (30%), state assessment proficiency (20%), state assessment performance (20%), underserved student performance (10%), college curriculum breadth (10%) and graduation rate (10%).
New Jersey had about 44% of its high schools ranked in the national top 25%, second only to Massachusetts at 46.7%.
AP participation drives college readiness score
Millburn's college readiness number reflects deep Advanced Placement participation. The gap is narrow. Glen Ridge High School, ranked one spot above Millburn at No. 14, posted a college readiness score of 86.5.
Millburn earned Platinum status on the 2025 AP School Honor Roll, the highest recognition the College Board offers. Eighty-one percent of seniors took at least one AP exam, 96.2% scored a 3 or higher, and 53% took five or more AP exams.
The school offered 35 AP courses taught by 44 teachers, with 686 students sitting for 2,050 exams total.
"This achievement reflects our collective commitment to academic excellence and the culture of high expectations that defines our school community," Principal Robert Nixon Jr. said in February when the AP Honor Roll was announced.
