Bethlehem Central High School has been rated the number one high school in the Albany metro area by U.S. News & World Report in the national 2025-26 Best High Schools list. The Albany metro area includes 47 public high schools in the greater Capital Region.
The online rankings were released on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.
The high school was also ranked at #693 in the publication’s national rankings of more than 24,000 high schools, up from #838 in 2025. The school is ranked #74 in New York State.
To determine the high school rankings, U.S. News & World Report created a measure using aggregated school data in the following categories:
- College Readiness – 30%
- State Assessment Proficiency – 20%
- State Assessment Performance – 20%
- Underserved Student Performance- 10%
- College Curriculum Breadth – 10%
- Graduation Rate – 10%
This year, BCHS received an overall score of 96.13 out of a possible 100. In 2025, the school earned a score of 95.25/100.
Highlights of this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s score for Bethlehem Central High School includes:
- Took at Least One AP® Exam – 60% of BCHS students
- Passed at Least One AP® Exam – 52% of BCHS students
- Mathematics Proficiency – 93% of BCHS students
- Reading Proficiency – 98% of BCHS students
- Science Proficiency – 97% of BCHS students
- Graduation Rate – 95%
More information about these rankings and the high school’s performance can be found by visiting U.S. News & World Report.