U.S. News Releases 2026 High School Rankings; Find Out How Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Was Rated
UCL Community Desk · Union County Life
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 annual rankings of top high schools in America. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School was rated No. 83 in New Jersey, No. 88 in the NYC Metro Area, and No. 1,527 in the U.S. News National Rankings. The school improved five spots from last year's New Jersey state ranking of No. 88.
The school demonstrated gains in several performance areas. The percentage of students taking at least one AP exam increased from 61% to 65%, while the percentage passing at least one AP exam rose from 46% to 51%. Reading proficiency increased from 62% to 73%. Mathematics proficiency rose from 45% to 48%, though it remains below 50%. Science proficiency decreased from 58% to 52%.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School has an enrollment of 1,562 students. The demographic breakdown is: White 62.4%, Hispanic 15.8%, Black 8.1%, Asian 8.6%, Mixed 4.6%, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.2%, and American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1%. An estimated 6% of the student population is economically disadvantaged.
Among Union County public high schools (excluding Union County Vo-Tech schools), Elizabeth High School ranked highest at No. 20 in the state, followed by Summit at No. 30, Union at No. 41, New Providence at No. 48, Westfield at No. 49, Gov. Livingston at No. 60, and Cranford at No. 68. Three Union County Vo-Tech schools located on Raritan Road in Scotch Plains ranked among the state's top 10: Union County Magnet School at No. 3, Academy for Information Technology (AIT) at No. 7, and Academy for Allied Health Sciences at No. 10.
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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