These Are the Best High Schools in the Rochester Area for 2026-27

School is officially back in session, so now it’s time to find out who has the best high school in the Rochester area, and who gets a little bragging rights this year.

We recently shared the best high schools in Minnesota, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. But that got me thinking… okay, that’s great for the whole state, but what about our schools?

In Case You Missed it: The 10 Best High Schools in All of Minnesota

If you’re here in Southeast Minnesota, you probably care more about how the high schools in and around Rochester stack up. I know I was super curious!

So I took a closer look at the 2026-2027 Best High Schools in the Rochester area rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

Now, these rankings aren’t just somebody’s opinion. U.S. News dug through the data from more than 27,000 public high schools across the country. They looked at everything from how students performed on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments to graduation rates, and how many students took AP or IB courses.

Also See: The Hardest Colleges to Get Into in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. 

And let's be real, there’s something kind of fun about seeing how the schools right around us compare. Especially when you know someone who went there, has a kid there, or maybe you're an alum yourself.

So, let's get into it. Which Rochester-area high schools made the cut? And more importantly… where did they rank? 

There were a few rules for making the list too. The school has to be public, charter or magnet, and have at least 15 students in its graduating class. Private schools weren't included.