Langley High School and McLean High School landed at No. 3 and No. 4 on Niche's 2027 list of Virginia's best public high schools, released Monday, Sept. 28.

The school-rating site analyzed 93,000 public schools, 30,000 private schools and 11,000 districts nationwide, according to Patch. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria took the No. 1 spot, followed by Independence High School in Ashburn.

Three McLean-area private schools also placed in the state's top 10. BASIS Independent McLean ranked No. 3 among Virginia private high schools, The Madeira School ranked No. 6 and The Potomac School ranked No. 8. U.S. Performance Academy in McLean appeared further down the private list at No. 19.

Both Langley and McLean High earned A+ grades from Niche in academics and college prep. McLean High scored an A in diversity, while Langley earned an A-. Langley pulled ahead in clubs and activities with an A to McLean's A-. McLean High drew 412 user reviews and a 3.9 rating out of 5 on the Niche site. Langley had 318 reviews and a 3.81 rating.

Niche made a notable methodology change for 2027. The site dropped SAT and ACT scores from its public-school formula, citing the broader de-emphasis on standardized testing in college admissions. Rankings now weigh state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, teacher quality and user ratings, according to Niche's methodology page.

Niche also split several categories into separate public and private lists for the first time, including Best Schools for the Arts, Most Diverse Schools and Best College Prep Schools. Two other rankings, Best Boarding High Schools and Best Private Online High Schools, received purpose-built methodologies specific to their school type.

Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, said the updates aim to give families "more ways to find the right fit" for their children.

McLean High touts more than 50 clubs and is an eight-time winner of the First Amendment Press Freedom Award, according to the school's website. No other Virginia school has matched its record. It is the only school in the state to earn Trophy Class Ratings for all five publications from the Virginia High School League (VHSL).