Over two-thirds of Idaho’s 15 best public high schools are in the Treasure Valley, according to school-ranking site Niche.

After analyzing data and reviews of the state’s 243 public high schools, Niche graded each school for its academics, diversity and teachers.

The 2023 report ranked Renaissance High School in Meridian as the best public high school in the state — three more Ada County schools made up the top four public high schools in the Gem State.

Renaissance High School, in the West Ada School District, has a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1 and earned an overall grade of A+ in the Niche ranking. Renaissance earned an A+ rating for teachers, an A+ in academics and a B+ in diversity.

“According to state test scores, 82% of students are at least proficient in math and 95% in reading,” Niche reports.

Niche grades and analyzes schools and neighborhoods throughout the U.S. using data from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Census and FBI, plus more than 100 million reviews and survey responses from students, parents and residents to rank schools in every county and city in the country.

“We get deep, too, asking questions about everything from college prep to cafeteria food,” Niche states on its website. “Though quality data is a priority, at Niche, we know that a school is more than a collection of stats.”

Niche also looks at each school’s academics and culture.

Academic Grade: Based on state assessment proficiency and survey responses on academics from students and parents.
Teacher Grade: Based on teacher salary, teacher absenteeism, state test results and survey responses on teachers from students and parents.
District Grade: Based on rigorous academic and student life data analysis and millions of reviews from students and parents.
Culture & Diversity Grade: Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses from students and parents on school culture and diversity.
Parent/Student Surveys Grade: Niche survey responses scored on a 1-5 scale regarding the overall experience of students and parents from the school.

Top public high schools in Ada County

Here are the top 15 public high schools in Ada County, according to Niche.

Liberty Charter School (5th), Victory Charter School (9th) and Gem Prep Nampa (12th) all ranked within the top 15 schools in Idaho, but are not listed below because they are in Canyon County.

1 – Renaissance High School

2 – Meridian Medical Arts Charter School

3 – Boise High School

4 – Meridian Technical Charter High School

5 – Timberline High School

6 – Sage International School Boise

7 – North Star Public Charter School