Here are Charlotte metro’s best public high schools for 2024

A Gaston County magnet school jumped to the top of Niche.com’s recent ranking of the Charlotte area’s best public high schools.

Gaston Early College High School in Dallas ranked at No. 1 on that list. A wide mix of local schools, however, are reflected among the top 20, including those within Gaston County Schools, Union County Public Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, among others.

Niche.com released its 10th annual Best Schools and Districts rankings for 2024 in late September. It used a range of data sources, including the U.S. Department of Education, as well as input from current students, alumni and parents to measure schools across multiple categories. That includes categories such as teachers, resources and facilities, extracurricular activities and even food.

In doing so, Niche.com aims to extend its focus beyond test scores and academic performance to provide a more comprehensive view of schools. More than 94,000 public schools, nearly 31,000 private schools and 12,000-plus school districts across the U.S. were included in this year’s ranking.

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CBJ is taking a closer look at how Niche.com ranked schools in the Charlotte metro, breaking them out four ways: public elementary, public middle, public high and private K-12 schools.

For public high schools, Niche.com assigned individual grades in academics, diversity, teachers, college prep, clubs and activities, administration, sports, food, and resources and facilities — in addition to its overall Niche grade.

One difference in this year’s rankings is that SAT- and ACT-related factors have been removed. Niche.com says it made that change to reflect the decreased emphasis on standardized testing in the college admissions process, which started as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.