The 20 best public high schools in Alabama

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November 16, 2014

Homewood High School marching band (Photo: Steven Atha -- stevenatha.com) — Homewood High School marching band (Photo: Steven Atha — stevenatha.com)

Last week, Yellowhammer shared a list of the 20 best private high schools in Alabama. This week, using data compiled by Niche.com, a site that seeks to “make choosing a neighborhood, college, or K-12 school a more transparent process” by “providing reviews and insight from everyday experts,” we’ll turn our attention to the state’s top public high schools.

Here’s how Niche.com explains their process:

A high ranking in Overall Experience generally indicates that:

— Students are very happy with their experiences in all aspects, including academics, teachers, health, safety, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, sports, and fitness;
— The school is an exceptional academic institution in terms of teachers, students, resources for learning, and student outcomes;
— The school is made up of a diverse population and fosters an accepting, positive school culture;
— Students are actively involved in a variety of extracurriculars and sports the school offers.

You can check out a more in-depth explanation of their methodology here.

So after crunching the numbers, what did Niche find out about Alabama’s public schools? The top 20 public high schools in Alabama can be found below, and the complete and more detailed rankings can be found here.

1. Homewood High School (Homewood, Ala.)
2. Mountain Brook High School (Mountain Brook, Ala.)
3. Auburn High School (Auburn, Ala.)
4. Spain Park High School (Hoover, Ala.)
5. Loveless Academic Magnet School (Montgomery, Ala.)
6. Vestavia Hills High School (Vestavia Hills, Ala.)
7. Hoover High School (Hoover, Ala.)
8. Bob Jones High School (Huntsville, Ala.)
9. Oak Mountain High School (Indian Springs Village, Ala.)
10. Hartselle High School (Hartselle, Ala.)
11. New Century Technology High School (Huntsville, Ala.)
12. Florence High School (Florence, Ala.)
13. Booker T. Washington Magnet High School (Montgomery, Ala.)
14. Cullman High School (Cullman, Ala.)
15. Hewitt-Trussville High School (Trussville, Ala.)
16. Ramsay High School (Birmingham, Ala.)
17. Fort Payne High School (Fort Payne, Ala.)
18. Flomaton High School (Flomaton, Ala.)
19. Muscle Shoals High School (Muscle Shoals, Ala.)
20. Virgil Grissom High School (Huntsville, Ala.)