2024 Best High Schools in Arizona

What High School Paths Does Arizona Provide?

Arizona has 687 high schools, more than 41% more than the average state, ranking it #37 in the nation. This means that there are numerous education paths in many parts of the state, particularly in and around larger cities. On average, the school rating is a B– which is right in line with the national average.

In total, 77% of Arizona's high schools are public and they have an average rating of B. Of those 532 schools, the majority are traditional public schools (293). Approximately 56% of those traditional public schools sit above the national average, so you can rest assured that there's still 165 such schools that are considered better than normal.

Diving deeper into public high school alternatives, there are also 234 charter schools, which may not seem like much, but it actually ranks Arizona in the 2nd spot for most charter schools per capita vs the average state. In total, 46% of those charter schools exceed the national average in quality. Also, of the 5 magnet high schools, 4 earned above average marks.

Shifting now to private high schools, there are 92 in total to choose from (roughly 13% of all schools). Despite a smaller state population, there are still 53% fewer private school options than the average state per capita. With a median rating of A–, approximately half (50%) of Arizona's private schools are rated above the national average. About 59% of private high schools in Arizona are religiously affiliated, led primarily by Christian schools which total 42. The state ranks 49th for most religious schools per capita, so it actually falls a bit below average in terms of how much religious influence there is in its school options. There are also 4 all-boys schools in Arizona, which is a whopping 67% (or 1.67 times) less than the typical state (after normalizing for population size). There are 3 all-girls schools, which is 55% less than the average state.

Many of the high schools are also beginning to increase their online offerings, but as of now just 56 are offered online (just 8% of all schools). This actually ranks Arizona in the 5th position in terms of online schools per capita vs. the typical state (it's above the average by 394%).