17 Best High Schools in Florida

Navigating the educational system in Florida, especially as a new immigrant, can be difficult. Many students, parents, and guardians find it very difficult to find the best school for their ward in Florida. As a student, you should also understand that your choice of high school solely depends on you.

Before I speak about the high schools in Florida or the academic potential of the schools in Florida. You should know the following about the state of Florida.

The state of Florida is in the southeastern region of the united state, called the state of sunny weather. This is because it has the longest coastline in the United States and an abundance of sunny weather in the state.

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The state of Florida attracts tourists because of its history. And highly because of the preservation of ancient cultures and traditions by modern citizens. This makes it a nice and favorable place of residence for immigrants and students especially.

There are over 2227 high schools in Florida. This makes up both 1485 public high schools and over 743 private high schools. These numbers can make it fairly difficult to make a credible selection during your application. This article should help narrow your thought process during your high school selection process.

There are 945 cities in Florida and only 5 are considered the major cities in the state. There are 10 largest cities in Florida with the highest form of attraction to tourists and they include; Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, Port St. Lucie, Cape Coral, Tallahassee, and Fort Lauderdale.

These respective cities are all made up of a variety of high schools and we will discuss aid your selection process, and read through our city selections.

The Best High School in Florida

The best high schools in Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida, and it is home to some of the best high schools in Florida. It is also known for its large cultural attraction.

Jacksonville has a total number of 86 high schools. But to mention a few, the following are the best high schools in Jacksonville.

  • Stanton College Preparatory School
  • Darnell Cookman Middle/High School
  • Paxon School/Advanced Studies
  • Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
  • Ponte Vedra High School
  • Creekside High School
  • Allen D. Nease Senior High School

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1. Stanton College Preparatory School

This is one of the most highly rated high schools in Jacksonville, Florida. It has a college preparatory curriculum that gives students honors advanced placement and courses in the international baccalaureate.

Stanford College Preparatory School gives students the opportunity to earn college credit for courses. This high school offers an additional advantage to students as they are in partnership with the University of North Florida and Florida state college at Jacksonville.

Read more about Stanton College Preparatory School and its athletic program on the school website.

2. Darnell Cookman Middle/High School

Thus is the second most rated high school in Jacksonville, Florida. It is also preparatory for college students. The lecture curriculum in Darnel Cookman High School prepares students for the life in college. Stanton College Preparatory School has a well-rounded program for its athletic students.

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They engage in sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, golf, tennis, lacrosse, and many others. These sports are for male and female students enrolled in the school.

Stanton College Preparatory School graduate often finds themselves admitted to the University System of Florida, which gives them an advantage during university application.

Read more about Stanton College Preparatory School and its study program on the school website.

3 Paxon School/Advanced Studies

The Paxon School of Advance studies ranks 17 in the whole of Florida. In Jacksonville, it is ranked third best school.

In Paxon School, students offer advanced placement classes and also take on the additional courses and extra-curricular work to build experience. And you should know that Paxon School is one of the four International Baccalaureate senior high schools in Duval County, Florida.

It also has one of the strongest math and science Advanced Placement programs in the state of Florida. It is associated with the BMV sport; they are dedicated to providing local and international sponsorship athletes.

Read more about Paxon School/Advanced and their impressive programs on their website

3. Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

This is one of the best Arts schools in Jacksonville. It is often nicknamed DA or DASOTA. It is the fourth best school by rank in Jacksonville. Douglas Anderson has very focused groups in Art, all including singing, orchestra, creative writing, theatre, visual art, band, and more.

The public school also provides advanced placement courses to students with good academic records.

Read more on Douglas Anderson School of Art and their respective achievements on their website.

4. Ponte Vedra High School

Ponte Vedra High School is the 30th best school in the whole of Florida, but it is the fifth most ranked school in Jacksonville. It is a public school in the public high school in St. Johns County School District, with a fairly regimented learning program.

Ponte Vedra High School gives students the opportunity to offer advanced placement courses in their desired field provided they have a good academic record.

The high school also engages its students with sporting activities such as baseball, basketball, cross-country, diving, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, wrestling, volleyball, and the marching band.

Read more on Ponte Vedra High School on their website for more insights on their learning programs

5. Creekside High School

This is the sixth-best school in Jacksonville, but it is the 35th in the whole of Florida. It is often classified as an alternative education high school.

Creekside High School is a public school in Irvine Unified School District. They offer classes in Digital Graphic Arts, a computer laboratory with standardized labs; two science rooms, 2-D and 3-D Arts rooms next to the outdoor ceramics laboratory, and a general seven education classrooms. This makes a leading school is providing their students with world-class knowledge.

Read more on Creekside High School on their website

6. Allen D. Nease Senior High School

Finally, on our list of best high schools in Jacksonville is Allen D. Nease Senior High School.

Allen D. Nease Senior High School is affiliated with the International Baccalaureate making it eligible to offer advanced placement classes to its students.

Despite the advancement in their learning program, the student enjoys a series of extracurricular activities such as sports, community-based charities, and many more.

Read more on Allen D. Nease Senior High School on their website.

The best High schools in Miami, Florida

Miami is one of the largest cities in Florida, with over 129 country public schools in Miami and other privately owned high schools. Below is a list of the best high schools in Miami to help your section process.

  • School for Advanced Studies (SAS)
  • Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School
  • Design and Architecture Senior High
  • iPrep Academy
  • International Studies Charter High School
  • Jose Marti Mast 6-12 Academy
  • Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST@FIU)

Also, read Florida Bright Future Scholarship

Let’s talk about a few of these schools.

1. School for Advanced Studies (SAS)

This is one of the highly ranked high schools in both Miami and Florida as a whole. The school for Advanced Studies (SAS) gives high-performing students the opportunity to offer advanced placement classes.

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The school for advanced studies adheres strictly to MDCPS guidelines and policies, which gives it a very high standard among other schools.

Read more on the school website: LINK

2. Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School

Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School has a national ranking of 63 in Florida but is second in Miami. It holds a standing record of 99.65/100 in its performance on the state-required test.

It also gives its students several opportunities to offer advanced placement courses as well as workshops that promote their academic records and strength.

Read more on Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School on their website

3. Design and Architecture Senior High

The Design and Architecture Senior High is also one of the top fashion high schools in Florida. It has a national ranking of 65 in Florida but third in Miami, which makes it eligible.

The Design and Architecture Senior High has trained several students on the art and craft of design through fashion exhibitions, entertainment, visual communication, fine art, architecture and industrial design.

They offer students groundbreaking tools to express their art and be globally recognized for their talents.

Read more about the school of The Design and Architecture Senior High on their WEBSITE

4. iPrep Academy

This is one of the topmost prestigious high schools in the whole of Florida. It is ranked 6th in Florida in terms of national ranking.

iPrep Academy offers a very inclusive learning plan among other schools that allows academically active students an opportunity to offer advanced placement classes. And other workshops and coursework to support their studies.

Read more on iPrep Academy on their website.

The best high schools in Tampa

Tampa is one of the largest cities in Florida, 2nd to Miami. It has about 62 high schools in total. The best high schools in Tampa have rigorous academic coursework.

A few of the best high schools in Tampa include;

  • Plant High School
  • Steinbrenner High School
  • Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School
  • Newsome High School
  • Sickles High School

These are a few of the best high schools in Tampa and they are all located in the Hillsborough County Public Schools. They are categorically known for offering advanced placement classes to their students. Especially students who show a prime interest in academic work and have a good academic record to offer to handle extra-curricular classes.

The best high school in Orlando

Orlando is one of the finest cities in Florida, and this is because of its architectural designs. It is home to a few of the best high schools in Florida and these high schools include

  • Osceola County School of Arts
  • Hagerty High School
  • Timber Creek High
  • Professional and Technical High School
  • Winter Park High

1. Osceola County School of Arts

This is the second-best high school in Florida and it is located in Orlando. It provides students the opportunity to offer advanced placement courses, especially in Art related courses.

The Osceola County School of Arts has rigorous academic coursework, but despite this, they produced highly effective academic students.

Read more about the Osceola County School of Arts on their website.

2. Hagerty High School

Hagerty High School has an innovative learning environment that nurtures growth and builds relevant skills among students.

Aside from its innovative learning and teaching quality, Hagerty High School also offers advanced placement courses to students of good academic standing.

Read more about Hagerty High School on their website.

3. Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School

Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School is a charter high school in Orlando, Florida. It is the 55th most ranked school in the whole of Florida. It also offers students the opportunity to offer advanced placements classes.

Read more about Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School

The best high school in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is one of the highly attractive tourism-friendly cities in Florida. It is also home to a few of the best high schools in Florida. The high schools in St. Petersburg are all allocated under the Pinellas County School District. A few of these high schools include;

  • Palm Harbor University High
  • St. Petersburg Collegiate High school
  • Osceola Fundamental High
  • East Lake High School
  • St. Petersburg High School
  • Lakewood High School Largo High School
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Let’s discuss a few of these high schools

1. Palm Harbor University High

This is located under the Pinellas County School district. Palm Harbor University High is a ranking of 69 among other schools in the whole of Florida and it is ranked the 1st among the schools in Pinellas County School District.

The Palm Harbor University High offers students the opportunity to take advanced placement courses as well as engage in career-related workshops.

Read more about Pal Harbor University High on their school website

2. St. Petersburg Collegiate High school

St. Petersburg Collegiate High school is also one of the highly rated schools in St. Petersburg. It offers advanced placement courses to academically-inclined students who show good academic standing.

They also have a good athletic program and sponsorship for students with a good athletic background.

Read more about St. Petersburg Collegiate High school on their website

3. Osceola Fundamental High

Osceola Fundamental High is ranked 75th in Florida. They also give students the opportunity to offer advanced placement coursework as well as capacity building workshop.

They also have highly advanced sporting and athletic programs such as cross-country, baseball, volleyball, basketball, and soccer are uniquely known for all these sporting events.

Read more about Osceola Fundamental High

4. East Lake High School

This is a public high school in St. Petersburg. One of the most rated schools in Florida is this one. It is the 95th-rated school in Florida. It also gives students the opportunity to offer advanced placement courses as well as capacity-building workshops.

Read more about East Lake High School

Conclusion

The State of Florida has several high schools with good academic standings, as read above. They all offer advanced placement classes to students. The very best high school in Florida, as seen in the recommended list, but now irrespective of city and school district is the school’s advanced studies in Miami. It is the top-ranking school in the whole of Florida, and it is followed by Pine View High School in the Osprey school district.

Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs)

What is the best high school district in Florida?

A fair answer to this will be Osceola because it houses most of the best high schools in Florida.

What is the #1 ranked high school in Florida?

Based on our list, the best high school in Florida is Stanford College. It is one of the most highly rated high schools in Jacksonville, Florida. It has a college preparatory curriculum that gives students honors advanced placement and courses in the international baccalaureate.
Stanford College Preparatory School gives students the opportunity to earn college credit for courses. This high school offers an additional advantage to students as they are in partnership with the University of North Florida and Florida state college at Jacksonville.

Are the high schools in Florida ethnically diverse?

Most of the high schools in Florida offer admission to all students regardless of their ethnical diversity.

What is a charter high school?

Charter high schools are public high schools that operate under contract but are free from many regulations proposed by traditional high schools. But they are held accountable for academic and financial results.

Do high schools in Florida offer boarding packages?

Yes, most of the schools in Florida offer boarding packages to students but at regiment cost, and a few of the students are known to get accommodation sponsorship and scholarships.

What part of Florida has the best schools?

One of the best school districts in Florida is St. Johns County School District it houses most of the favorite high schools in Florida.

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