Jonathan Dayton High School's 2026 Ranking in New Jersey Revealed in U.S. News' Annual Survey
UCL Community Desk · Union County Life
Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield ranked No. 9 among the public schools in Union County, excluding charter, magnet or technical schools, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2026 list of "Best High Schools in New Jersey" and the nation published in August 2026.
The Union County Magnet School in Scotch Plains is ranked No. 1 overall in Union County, including magnet and technical schools. Union County's top-ranked public school according to U.S. News is Elizabeth High School, which ranks No. 20 in New Jersey.
U.S. News analyzed schools based on math, science and reading performance, number of students taking Advanced Placement courses, College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank, College Readiness Index Rank, State Assessment Proficiency Rank, State Assessment Performance Rank, and Graduation Rate Rank.
Jonathan Dayton received an overall score of 84.1 out of 100. The school's scorecard shows that 54% of students took at least one AP exam, 38% passed at least one AP exam, 21% achieved mathematics proficiency, 71% achieved reading proficiency, 33% achieved science proficiency, and the graduation rate was 96%.
Among public schools in Union County excluding technical or magnet schools, Jonathan Dayton ranks ninth on a list that includes Elizabeth, Summit, Union, New Providence, Westfield, Gov. Livingston, Cranford, and Scotch Plains-Fanwood ahead of it.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy against official sources.
Produced with AI assistance and reviewed against source records.
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