U.S. public schools with the highest resource index

Career Academy and Technical School in Troutman, NC, scores highest on the PlainSchools resource index, 81 of 100: 6.1 students per teacher, 75 per counselor, 3.4% chronically absent. The 100th school on the list scores 71; 142 of the 63,733 eligible schools reach that. The index measures staffing, counseling, gifted programs and attendance, not how well students learn.

Resource index 2024-25 × 2021-22 · schools open in 2024-25 with 100+ students and all 4 factors; online, alternative, special-education, pre-K-only and correctional programs left out · method

Eligible schools by resource index, bands of 10 points from 0-9 to 90-1000: 101, 10: 1,517, 20: 6,914, 30: 16,715, 40: 22,243, 50: 13,061, 60: 2,972, 70: 208, 80: 2010k20k30k0101101,517206,9143016,7154022,2435013,061602,97270208802
Eligible schools by resource index, bands of 10 points from 0-9 to 90-1000: 101, 10: 1,517, 20: 6,914, 30: 16,715, 40: 22,243, 50: 13,061, 60: 2,972, 70: 208, 80: 2010k20k30k0101101,517206,9143016,7154022,2435013,061602,97270208802
Eligible schools by resource index, bands of 10 points from 0-9 to 90-1000: 101, 10: 1,517, 20: 6,914, 30: 16,715, 40: 22,243, 50: 13,061, 60: 2,972, 70: 208, 80: 2010k20k30k0101101,517206,9143016,7154022,2435013,061602,97270208802
Eligible schools by resource index, bands of 10 points from 0-9 to 90-1000: 101, 10: 1,517, 20: 6,914, 30: 16,715, 40: 22,243, 50: 13,061, 60: 2,972, 70: 208, 80: 2010k20k30k0101101,517206,9143016,7154022,2435013,061602,97270208802

The chart draws the top of the register below; its source is named under the register.

The 100 highest scores, with each factor

SchoolStatePer teacherPer counselorGiftedChronically absentIndex
Career Academy and Technical SchoolNC6.175Yes3.4%81
Somerset County Vocational Technical High SchoolNJ5.774Yes4.7%80
Spring Branch Academic InstituteTX5.3140Yes2.1%79
Westbrook Middle SchoolCT6.357Yes6.9%79
Northwest Middle SchoolMS10.380Yes1.0%78
Cape May City Elementary SchoolNJ6.2137Yes3.8%77
Avon Elementary SchoolNJ6.3123Yes5.1%77
Amherst SchoolTX5.3129Yes6.7%77
Berkeley ElementaryNJ10.650Yes5.5%76
Early ElementaryTX10.565Yes5.1%76
Walter Hill SchoolNJ11.062Yes3.6%76
Guy-Perkins High SchoolAR10.2124Yes0.7%76
Gruver High SchoolTX6.6159Yes3.3%76
Eula High SchoolTX6.4105Yes8.2%76
Montville Township High SchoolNJ9.8119Yes2.5%75
The other 85 on the list
SchoolStatePer teacherPer counselorGiftedChronically absentIndex
Glen Rock High SchoolNJ10.0114Yes3.2%75
Izard Co. Cons. High SchoolAR7.7205Yes0.0%75
Goldthwaite High SchoolTX7.894Yes8.2%75
Garden City High SchoolTX7.8154Yes3.3%75
Iredell SchoolTX7.6135Yes4.9%75
School for the Highly GiftedTX9.3128Yes2.3%75
Adrian SchoolTX8.8110Yes5.8%75
Diller-Odell Elementary SchoolNE9.4137Yes1.5%75
Mc Cool Junction Elementary SchoolNE10.7100Yes3.3%75
Round Top-Carmine High SchoolTX8.5105Yes5.4%75
Bergen County AcademiesNJ12.2111Yes2.0%74
Bergen County Technical High School - TeterboroNJ9.6136Yes3.3%74
New Providence High SchoolNJ11.1130Yes1.1%74
Chestnut Accelerated Middle School (Talented and Gifted)MA9.575Yes8.0%74
James Bowie High SchoolTX8.2158Yes4.3%74
Ainsworth Elementary SchoolNE9.3142Yes3.7%74
Winside Elementary SchoolNE10.694Yes4.8%74
Kiowa County High SchoolKS7.892Yes9.7%74
Sarita ElementaryTX11.080Yes6.1%74
Okay High SchoolOK12.3112Yes0.9%74
Paint Creek SchoolTX7.694Yes10.0%74
Ansley Elementary SchoolNE10.4109Yes5.0%74
Triton Regional High SchoolNJ11.4111Yes4.7%73
Newark Sch of Data Science and Information TechnologyNJ13.894Yes1.0%73
Spring Lake Heights Elementary SchoolNJ6.7152Yes8.1%73
Valley View ElementaryTX9.8119Yes6.0%73
Lafayette Township SchoolNJ8.6100Yes9.8%73
Munday ElementaryTX10.2160Yes2.3%73
School #16NJ8.2185Yes2.6%73
Mineral Springs High SchoolAR5.4157Yes9.4%73
Farwell High SchoolTX8.2168Yes5.1%73
KIPP Delta Collegiate High SchoolAR3.596No2.0%73
Sea Girt Elementary SchoolNJ6.0236Yes3.0%73
Eldorado High SchoolTX8.0154Yes6.8%73
Newman Grove Elementary SchoolNE11.3130Yes3.4%73
Gibsland-Coleman High SchoolLA6.7166Yes7.7%73
John C. Calhoun ElementarySC8.6151Yes6.0%73
Livingston High SchoolNJ11.1164Yes2.7%72
Northern Valley Regional High School at DemarestNJ10.9136Yes4.9%72
Robert R Lazar Middle SchoolNJ10.5157Yes4.0%72
New Milford High SchoolNJ12.6144Yes1.5%72
Union SchoolNJ10.2122Yes7.3%72
Cedar Ridge High SchoolAR5.1183Yes9.8%72
Bristow Middle SchoolCT11.562Yes8.9%72
Biotechnology High SchoolNJ11.7158Yes1.6%72
Marine Academy of Science and TechnologyNJ10.2133Yes6.4%72
Philip J Weaver Ed CenterNC6.9153Yes8.8%72
Early PrimaryTX11.362Yes10.3%72
Early MiddleTX10.874Yes10.3%72
Bloomfield Middle SchoolIN9.5166Yes4.8%72
Harts Bluff Early College High SchoolTX9.8109Yes8.4%72
Mountain View SchoolNJ6.9229Yes3.5%72
Eleanor G. HewittNJ9.5121Yes8.2%72
Luther P. Jackson MiddleVA8.4189Yes4.0%72
Community Lab SchoolVA9.7112Yes8.9%72
Stanberry HighMO9.7130Yes6.5%72
Nanny ElementaryTX10.5129Yes5.7%72
White City ElementaryKS11.5127Yes4.8%72
Lomega Elementary SchoolOK10.2116Yes7.5%72
Emerson High SchoolAR5.9292Yes0.0%72
Elydale MiddleVA10.6141Yes5.0%72
Cottonwood Public SchoolOK10.2118Yes6.8%72
Kress High SchoolTX9.7133Yes6.2%72
Goessel ElementaryKS9.7123Yes6.7%72
Snyder High SchoolOK10.2171Yes3.0%72
Waukomis High SchoolOK12.268Yes8.3%72
Haskell Junior HighTX8.6122Yes8.9%72
Madison HighKS8.255Yes14.7%72
Clifton-Clyde Senior HighKS8.2109Yes11.2%72
Okarche High SchoolOK8.0186Yes5.7%72
Clayton High SchoolOK13.051Yes8.3%72
Darien High SchoolCT10.7181Yes2.7%71
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old TappanNJ10.2128Yes8.0%71
Morris County School of TechnologyNJ11.8160Yes3.2%71
Haddonfield Memorial High SchoolNJ10.2179Yes4.2%71
Weston High SchoolCT10.8126Yes6.8%71
Valleyview Middle SchoolNJ10.5107Yes9.8%71
Tyrrell Middle SchoolCT9.2169Yes6.5%71
Forrestdale SchoolNJ8.1183Yes6.7%71
Randolph High SchoolTX13.1114Yes5.1%71
Emerson Jr Senior HighNJ9.3152Yes6.8%71
University High SchoolNJ11.8155Yes2.8%71
New Providence Middle SchoolNJ10.7190Yes2.5%71
Weber Innovation High SchoolUT13.1142Yes2.3%71
Beaufort MiddleSC9.2210Yes2.3%71

Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 (students per teacher); CRDC 2021-22 (counselors on CRDC enrollment, gifted program); EDFacts 2022-23 (chronic absenteeism). Index: the mean of the factors reported, each 0 to 100; the chart counts the schools eligible for the ranking (all four factors reported, ordinary in-person schools), the same schools the lead counts.

Related pages

  1. 01How the resource index works

    Factors, scaling and years

  2. 02Largest public schools

    By 2024-25 enrollment

  3. 03Each state's list

    Schools by resource index per state

  4. 04All rankings

    Size, spending, equity, attendance

Questions about the resource index

  1. What are the best public schools in America?
    No federal data rates how well schools teach. On the PlainSchools resource index, which averages CCD 2024-25 students per teacher with CRDC 2021-22 counselors and gifted programs and EDFacts 2022-23 chronic absenteeism, Career Academy and Technical School in Troutman, NC scores highest, 81 of 100. It measures staffing, counseling, programs and attendance, not test scores or reviews.
  2. How is the resource index different from Niche or GreatSchools ratings?
    The PlainSchools resource index is computed only from federal survey fields: CCD students per teacher, CRDC counselors and gifted programs, and EDFacts chronic absenteeism. Niche uses parent and student reviews with its own algorithm and GreatSchools uses test scores; the resource index measures staffing, counseling, programs and attendance, not teaching quality or test results. The factors span two federal vintages (2024-25 × 2021-22) because those releases are not simultaneous.

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School membership and staff · 2024-25

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection Counselors and gifted programs · 2021-22

Compiled from official source data by .