Here are the best high schools in the Worcester area, as ranked by 2019 U.S. News report

By Michelle Williams, MassLive

Each year, U.S. News and World Report releases rankings of the top high schools nationwide.

Some of the oldest schools in the nation and newer institutions in education vie for the top spots on the list. In the past, some readers were left wondering what were the best schools that were closest to them.

U.S. News and World Report listened to readers and school officials and, for the first time, it released the best schools by metro area.

The metro rankings use the same methodology as the national rankings. For example, the highest nationally ranked school located in Boston is also the top school in the Boston metro rankings.

The rankings are determined by schools whose attendees demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading state assessments, passed a diverse array of college-level exams and graduated in high proportions.

Overall, schools in Massachusetts fared well in the nationwide rankings.

"Nearly 49% of the Bay State's eligible schools were in the top 25% of the Best High School rankings, followed by Maryland at almost 44%, California at 40% and Connecticut at slightly below 40%."

Take a look below at how schools in the Worcester area did.

Note: The Worcester metro area ranking includes schools from Massachusetts as well as Connecticut that are near Worcester.

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50. Killingly High School

Killingly High is ranked 155th within Connecticut.

Location: Dayville, Conn.

Graduation rate:  85 percent

College readiness rating: 16.5 / 100

Enrollment: 823 students

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49. Murdock High School

Murdock High is ranked 280th within Massachusetts.

Location: Winchendon

Graduation rate:  80 percent

College readiness rating: 22 / 100

Enrollment: 289 students

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48. Burncoat Senior High 

Murdock High is ranked 279th within Massachusetts.

Location: Worcester

Graduation rate:  85 percent

College readiness rating: 22.7 / 100

Enrollment: 1,009 students

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47. Plainfield High School

Plainfield High is ranked 144th within Connecticut.

Location: Central Village, Conn.

Graduation rate:  86 percent

College readiness rating: 22.9 / 100

Enrollment: 669 students

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46. Windham High School

Windham High is ranked 142nd within Connecticut.

Location:  Willimantic, Conn.

Graduation rate:  84 percent

College readiness rating: 7.8 / 100

Enrollment: 581 students

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45. Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical

Montachusett Regional is ranked 261st within Massachusetts.

Location:  Fitchburg

Graduation rate:  98 percent

College readiness rating: 13.7 / 100

Enrollment: 1,429 students

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44. Bartlett Jr Sr High School

Bartlett is ranked 260th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Webster

Graduation rate:  73 percent

College readiness rating: 36.9 / 100

Enrollment: 438 students

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43. Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School

Bay Path Regional is ranked 257th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Charlton

Graduation rate:  96 percent

College readiness rating: 14.6 / 100

Enrollment: 1,114 students

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42. Oxford High

Oxford High is ranked 251st within Massachusetts.

Location:  Oxford

Graduation rate:  94 percent

College readiness rating: 26.7 / 100

Enrollment: 381 students

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41. Uxbridge High

Uxbridge High is ranked 248th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Uxbridge

Graduation rate:  91 percent

College readiness rating: 29.8 / 100

Enrollment: 478 students

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40. Putnam High

Putnam High is ranked 131st within Connecticut.

Location:  Putnam, Conn.

Graduation rate:  93 percent

College readiness rating: 21.3 / 100

Enrollment: 280 students

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39. South High

South High is ranked 237th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Worcester

Graduation rate:  75 percent

College readiness rating: 29 / 100

Enrollment: 1,396 students

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38. North Brookfield High

North Brookfield High is ranked 234th within Massachusetts.

Location:  North Brookfield

Graduation rate:  91 percent

College readiness rating: 27.3 / 100

Enrollment: 146 students

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37. Fitchburg High

Fitchburg High is ranked 230th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Fitchburg

Graduation rate:  87 percent

College readiness rating: 23.3 / 100

Enrollment: 1,156 students

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36. David Prouty High

David Prouty High is ranked 228th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Spencer

Graduation rate:  85 percent

College readiness rating: 26 / 100

Enrollment: 336 students

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35. Oakmont Regional High

Oakmont Regional High is ranked 226th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Ashburnham

Graduation rate:  94 percent

College readiness rating: 22.8 / 100

Enrollment: 693 students

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34. Clinton Senior High

Clinton High is ranked 220th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Clinton

Graduation rate:  97 percent

College readiness rating: 16.2 / 100

Enrollment: 437 students

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33. Millbury Junior/Senior High

Millbury is ranked 219th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Millbury

Graduation rate:  94 percent

College readiness rating: 26.7 / 100

Enrollment: 444 students

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32. Leicester High

Leicester is ranked 218th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Leicester

Graduation rate:  91 percent

College readiness rating: 29.2 / 100

Enrollment: 455 students

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31. Blackston-Millville Regional

Blackston-Millville Regional is ranked 208th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Blackstone

Graduation rate:  93 percent

College readiness rating: 35.7 / 100

Enrollment: 445 students

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30. Douglas High

Douglas High is ranked 204th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Douglas

Graduation rate:  91 percent

College readiness rating: 38 / 100

Enrollment: 393 students

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29. Leominster High

Leominster High is ranked 189th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Leominster

Graduation rate:  90 percent

College readiness rating: 30.8 / 100

Enrollment: 1,086 students

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28. Quabbin Regional

Quabbin Regional is ranked 186th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Barre

Graduation rate:  85 percent

College readiness rating: 30.5 / 100

Enrollment: 676 students

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27. Milford Regional

Milford Regional is ranked 182th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Barre

Graduation rate:  88 percent

College readiness rating: 35.4 / 100

Enrollment: 1,124 students

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26. Northbridge High

Northbridge High is ranked 177th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Whitinsville

Graduation rate:  95 percent

College readiness rating: 37 / 100

Enrollment: 584 students

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25. Narragansett Regional 

Narragansett Regional is ranked 161st within Massachusetts.

Location:  Baldwinville

Graduation rate:  85 percent

College readiness rating: 33.7 / 100

Enrollment: 371 students

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24. Doherty Memorial High

Doherty Memorial High is ranked 160th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Worcester

Graduation rate:  88 percent

College readiness rating: 32.5 / 100

Enrollment: 1,542 students

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23. Shepherd Hill Regional

Shepherd Hill Regional is ranked 150th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Dudley

Graduation rate:  94 percent

College readiness rating: 39.3/ 100

Enrollment: 1,165 students

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22. Worcester Technical High

Worcester Technical High is ranked 148th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Worcester

Graduation rate:  99 percent

College readiness rating: 18.1/ 100

Enrollment: 1,389 students

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21. Gardner High

Gardner High is ranked 145th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Gardner

Graduation rate:  93 percent

College readiness rating: 28.3/ 100

Enrollment: 530 students

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20. Parish Hill High

Parish Hill High is ranked 62nd within Connecticut.

Location:  Chaplin, Conn.

Graduation rate:  98 percent

College readiness rating: 29.8/ 100

Enrollment: 149 students

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19. Auburn Senior High

Auburn Senior High is ranked 120th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Auburn

Graduation rate:  94 percent

College readiness rating: 45.1/ 100

Enrollment: 703 students

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18. Sutton High

Sutton High is ranked 117th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Sutton

Graduation rate:  94 percent

College readiness rating: 47.3/ 100

Enrollment: 426 students

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17. Lunenburg High

Lunenburg High is ranked 113th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Lunenburg

Graduation rate:  96 percent

College readiness rating: 42.8 / 100

Enrollment: 433 students

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16. Grafton High

Grafton High is ranked 111st within Massachusetts.

Location:  Grafton

Graduation rate:  93 percent

College readiness rating: 38.7 / 100

Enrollment: 822 students

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15. Hopedale Jr Sr High

Hopedale is ranked 109th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Hopedale

Graduation rate:  99 percent

College readiness rating: 38.8 / 100

Enrollment: 333 students

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14. Wachusett Regional

Wachusett Regional is ranked 103rd within Massachusetts.

Location:  Holden

Graduation rate:  96 percent

College readiness rating: 34.9 / 100

Enrollment: 2,126 students

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13. Quaboag Regional

Quaboag Regional is ranked 100th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Warren

Graduation rate:  88 percent

College readiness rating: 35.9 / 100

Enrollment: 365 students

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12. West Boylston Junior/Senior High

West Boylston Junior/Senior High is ranked 89th within Massachusetts.

Location:  West Boylston

Graduation rate:  95 percent

College readiness rating: 36.5 / 100

Enrollment: 252 students

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11. University Park Campus School

University Park Campus School is ranked 85th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Worcester

Graduation rate:  98 percent

College readiness rating: 41.1 / 100

Enrollment: 163 students

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10. Abby Kelley Foster Charter 

Abby Kelley Foster Charter is ranked 71st within Massachusetts.

Location:  Worcester

Graduation rate:  98 percent

College readiness rating: 41.7 / 100

Enrollment: 356 students

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9. Nipmuc Regional

Nipmuc Regional is ranked 65th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Upton

Graduation rate:  93 percent

College readiness rating: 56.4 / 100

Enrollment: 583 students

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8. Blackstone Valley

Blackstone Valley is ranked 61st within Massachusetts.

Location:  Upton

Graduation rate:  99 percent

College readiness rating: 38.4 / 100

Enrollment: 1,206 students

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7. Tantasqua Regional

Tantasqua Regional is ranked 54th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Fiskdale

Graduation rate:  95 percent

College readiness rating: 54.2 / 100

Enrollment: 754 students

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6. Shrewsbury Sr High

Shrewsbury Sr High is ranked 47th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Shrewsbury

Graduation rate:  97 percent

College readiness rating: 51.1 / 100

Enrollment: 1,792 students

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5. Algonquin Regional

Algonquin Regional is ranked 42nd within Massachusetts.

Location:  Northborough (includes the towns of Northborough and Southborough)

Graduation rate:  98 percent

College readiness rating: 57.9 / 100

Enrollment: 1,434 students

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4. Tahanto Regional 

Tahanto Regional is ranked 39th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Bolyston (includes the towns of Boylston and Berlin)

Graduation rate:  98 percent

College readiness rating: 46 / 100

Enrollment: 316 students

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3. Nashoba Regional 

Nashoba Regional is ranked 17th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Bolton (includes towns of Lancaster, Bolton and Stow)

Graduation rate:  95 percent

College readiness rating: 67 / 100

Enrollment: 998 students

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2. Westborough High

Westborough High is ranked 15th within Massachusetts.

Location:  Westborough

Graduation rate:  99 percent

College readiness rating: 57.6 / 100

Enrollment: 1,049 students

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1. The Bromfield School

The Bromfield School is ranked eighth within Massachusetts.

Location:  Harvard

Graduation rate:  95 percent

College readiness rating: 71.7 / 100

Enrollment: 411 students

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Read more Massachusetts education data reporting

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