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Best High Schools in Rhode Island (2025-26)
Every ranked high school in Rhode Island, ordered by SchoolGrade. A grade rewards actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact. Click a column heading to sort, or filter by school, city or district.
Rhode Island rankings: High Schools · Middle Schools · Elementary Schools
Rhode Island high schools ranked
| Rank | Grade | School | City | District | Actual | Projected | Impact | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | A | Portsmouth High School | Portsmouth | Portsmouth | 70% | 53% | Greatly Exceeds Expectations | 796 |
| #2 | A | North Kingstown SR High | North Kingstown | North Kingstown | 67% | 50% | Greatly Exceeds Expectations | 1,374 |
| #3 | A- | East Greenwich High | East Greenwich | East Greenwich | 65% | 65% | Meets Expectations | 737 |
| #4 | A- | Barrington High School | Barrington | Barrington | 64% | 53% | Greatly Exceeds Expectations | 1,139 |
| #5 | B+ | Chariho High School | Wood River Junction | Chariho | 56% | 50% | Exceeds Expectations | 1,043 |
| #6 | B+ | South Kingstown High | Wakefield | South Kingstown | 55% | 52% | Exceeds Expectations | 789 |
| #7 | B+ | Classical High School | Providence | Providence | 53% | 38% | Greatly Exceeds Expectations | 1,113 |
| #8 | B+ | Cumberland High School | Cumberland | Cumberland | 52% | 47% | Exceeds Expectations | 1,446 |
| #9 | B | Narragansett High School | Narragansett | Narragansett | 50% | 52% | Meets Expectations | 474 |
| #10 | B | North Smitfield HS | North Smithfield | North Smithfield | 50% | 43% | Exceeds Expectations | 524 |
| #11 | B | Block Island School (K-12) | Block Island | New Shoreham | 40% | 46% | Meets Expectations | 130 |
| #12 | B- | Lincoln Senior High School | Lincoln | Lincoln | 45% | 47% | Meets Expectations | 976 |
| #13 | B- | Cranston High School West | Cranston | Cranston | 43% | 71% | Underperforms Expectations | 1,715 |
| #14 | B- | Toll Gate High School | Warwick | Warwick | 42% | 44% | Meets Expectations | 1,188 |
| #15 | C+ | Beacon Charter School (Charter) | Woonsocket | Beacon Charter School | 40% | 33% | Exceeds Expectations | 205 |
| #16 | C+ | Exeter West Greenwich Regional | West Greenwich | Exeter-West Greenwich | 40% | 48% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 453 |
| #17 | C+ | Middletown High School | Middletown | Middletown | 40% | 44% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 567 |
| #18 | C+ | Ponaganset High School | North Scituate | Foster-Glocester | 40% | 44% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 921 |
| #19 | C+ | Smithfield High School | Smithfield | Smithfield | 40% | 44% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 772 |
| #20 | C+ | Westerly High School | Westerly | Westerly | 40% | 44% | Meets Expectations | 699 |
| #21 | C+ | Mt Hope High School | Bristol | Bristol Warren | 35% | 40% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 879 |
| #22 | C+ | Scituate High School | North Scituate | Scituate | 35% | 42% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 374 |
| #23 | C+ | Tiverton High School | Tiverton | Tiverton | 35% | 44% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 469 |
| #24 | C | Coventry High School | Coventry | Coventry | 34% | 39% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 1,301 |
| #25 | C | Pilgrim High School | Warwick | Warwick | 34% | 39% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 1,147 |
| #26 | C | North Providence High | North Providence | North Providence | 32% | 34% | Meets Expectations | 1,090 |
| #27 | C- | Jacqueline M Walsh School | Pawtucket | Pawtucket | 30% | 34% | Meets Expectations | 184 |
| #28 | C- | Johnston Senior High | Johnston | Johnston | 30% | 34% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 804 |
| #29 | C- | The Greene School (Charter) | West Greenwich | The Greene School | 30% | 40% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 199 |
| #30 | C- | West Warwick High School | West Warwick | West Warwick | 30% | 49% | Underperforms Expectations | 1,047 |
| #31 | C- | East Providence High | East Providence | East Providence | 29% | 42% | Underperforms Expectations | 1,659 |
| #32 | C- | Cranston High School East | Cranston | Cranston | 28% | 40% | Underperforms Expectations | 1,499 |
| #33 | D+ | Burrillville High School | Harrisville | Burrillville | 25% | 36% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 657 |
| #34 | D+ | Woonsocket High School | Woonsocket | Woonsocket | 24% | 33% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 1,621 |
| #35 | D | Blackstone Valley Prep High (Charter) | Cumberland | Blackstone Valley Prep A RI Mayoral Academy | 20% | 29% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 399 |
| #36 | D | E Cubed Academy | Providence | Providence | 20% | 20% | Meets Expectations | 346 |
| #37 | D | Rogers High School | Newport | Newport | 20% | 36% | Underperforms Expectations | 633 |
| #38 | D | William E Tolman High | Pawtucket | Pawtucket | 20% | 33% | Underperforms Expectations | 1,056 |
| #39 | D- | Blackstone Academy Charter (Charter) | Pawtucket | Blackstone Academy | 15% | 14% | Meets Expectations | 351 |
| #40 | D- | Times2 Middlehigh School (Charter) | Providence | Providence | 15% | 13% | Exceeds Expectations | 391 |
| #41 | F | Rini Middle College (Charter) | Providence | Rhode Island Nurses Institute Middle College | 11% | 23% | Underperforms Expectations | 370 |
| #42 | F | Charles E Shea High School | Pawtucket | Pawtucket | 10% | 14% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 870 |
| #43 | F | Highlander Secondary Charter S (Charter) | Warren | Highlander | 10% | 24% | Underperforms Expectations | 344 |
| #44 | F | Nelcps Construction Career (Charter) | Cranston | Cranston | 10% | 35% | Underperforms Expectations | 159 |
| #45 | F | Paul Cuffee Upper School (Charter) | Providence | Paul Cuffee Charter Sch | 10% | 20% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 271 |
| #46 | F | Central Falls SR High | Central Falls | Central Falls | 6% | 10% | Meets Expectations | 811 |
| #47 | F | Charette Charter School (Charter) | Providence | Charette Charter | 5% | 19% | Underperforms Expectations | 167 |
| #48 | F | Village Green Virtual (Charter) | Providence | Village Green Virtual | 5% | 27% | Underperforms Expectations | 202 |
| #49 | F | W B Cooley And Acad Internationa | Providence | Providence | 5% | 10% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 322 |
| #50 | F | Central High School | Providence | Providence | 3% | 14% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 1,302 |
| #51 | F | Dr Jorge Alvarez HS | Providence | Providence | 3% | 10% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 562 |
| #52 | F | Hope High School | Providence | Providence | 3% | 7% | Doesn't Meet Expectations | 896 |
| #53 | F | Mount Pleasant High | Providence | Providence | 3% | 16% | Underperforms Expectations | 1,164 |
| #54 | F | Trinity Academy Performing Art (Charter) | Providence | Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts | 3% | 18% | Underperforms Expectations | 205 |
How Rhode Island's high schools compare
A: 4B: 10C: 18D: 8F: 14
26% of the 54 ranked high schools in Rhode Island earn an A or B (4 A grades, 10 B, 18 C, 8 D, 14 F), against 48% of high schools nationwide. 21 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (39% here, 75% nationally), and 10 exceed it. On average 30% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 35% (national averages: 42% actual, 40% projected).
The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Portsmouth High School (70% against 53%, A), North Kingstown SR High (67% against 50%, A), Classical High School (53% against 38%, B+), Barrington High School (64% against 53%, A-).
Cities with the most ranked high schools: Providence (13, 1 at A or B), Pawtucket (4, 0 at A or B), Cranston (3, 1 at A or B).
The largest ranked high schools: Cranston High School West (1,715 students, B-, #13), East Providence High (1,659 students, C-, #31), Woonsocket High School (1,621 students, D+, #34).
Of the top 25, 0 are magnet schools and 1 is a charter. Selective and specialised schools tend to post high actual scores; the projection column is the fairer comparison for a neighborhood school.
High schools in Rhode Island that are not ranked
6 graded high schools are listed here rather than ranked, each for the reason given. Every one has its own page with its full SchoolGrade report.
Special-purpose schools (5)
Alternative, special-education and vocational schools serve a different mission and a different student body, so they are graded but not ranked against regular schools.
- D- Chariho Alternative Learning A, Wood River Junction
- C- Davies Career Tech High School, Lincoln
- F Metropolitan Career Tech Ctr, Providence
- F Providence Career Technical, Providence
- C- Ri School For The Deaf, Providence
Not yet graded (1)
Too little test data to grade.
- Sheila Skip Nowell, Providence
About this ranking
- Scope: every public high school in Rhode Island.
- Order: SchoolGrade, then actual proficiency, then name; schools with the same grade and score share a rank.
- Ranked: regular public schools that NCES lists as open, not fully online, with at least 30 students. Others are listed with the reason.
- Tags: Magnet and Charter from the NCES school directory; K-12 marks schools serving every grade that are ranked with the high schools.
- Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model. How SchoolGrade works
Questions about high schools in Rhode Island
What is the best high school in Rhode Island?
Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth ranks first among the 54 ranked high schools in Rhode Island with a SchoolGrade of A, 70% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 53%.
How are high schools in Rhode Island ranked?
By SchoolGrade, the 2025-26 model that scores each school's actual test proficiency against the level projected for its student context, then by actual proficiency to break ties. Regular public schools that are open, not fully online and have at least 30 students are ranked; the rest are listed below the table with the reason.
How many high schools does Rhode Island have?
SchoolGrade grades 60 public high schools in Rhode Island; 54 are ranked here and 6 are listed as not ranked.