Watertown High School has earned strong marks from U.S. News & World Report in their latest rankings of public high schools in the United States.

WHS was named as a “Best High School” in this year’s rankings. To earn this status, a school must rank in the top 40 percent nationally. U.S. News & World Report listed Watertown High School as number 2,087 in the nation, or in the top 12 percent of high schools nationwide.

In total, nearly 18,000 public high schools in the United States were judged on a criteria that includes student performance on state-mandated tests, graduation rates, and college preparation measures. In particular, Watertown scored highly on college readiness (1,992 nationally) and state assessment performances (2,114 nationally, 42 in Massachusetts).

“We know how amazing Watertown is, but it’s nice to have the hard work of our students and staff recognized by someone outside the community,” said Watertown High Schoool Principal Joel Giacobozzi. “The shift in ranking was pretty meteoric. We’re happy, but never satisfied.”
Watertown High School has a student population of just under 800 students. In April of 2026, the City of Watertown will open the brand new Watertown High School, which will be the first high school building in the country to meet both net-zero energy and LEED 4.1 Platinum standards.