Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology tied for first in the nation in college readiness, graduation rate and state assessment proficiency in the 2026-2027 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings released Tuesday, Aug. 18. The Fairfax County magnet school landed at No. 6 overall out of nearly 18,000 ranked public high schools.

For McLean and Langley pyramid families with eighth-graders considering the TJ application, the results offer a concrete data point: no school in the country scored higher on the college readiness index, which measures student participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. College readiness carries the heaviest weight in the methodology at 30% of a school's total score.

"They continue to perform at a very, very, very high level," LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, told WTOP on Tuesday.

The rankings evaluate schools on six indicators using 2023-2024 school year data: college readiness (30%), state assessment proficiency (20%), state assessment performance (20%), graduation rate (10%), curriculum breadth (10%) and underserved student performance (10%). U.S. News worked with RTI International, a global research firm, to implement the methodology.

Five schools ranked higher. TJ's No. 6 finish places it behind Central Magnet School in Tennessee (No. 1), Signature School in Indiana, Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Pennsylvania, Davidson Academy in Nevada and School Without Walls High School in Washington, D.C. (No. 5). Jones told WTOP that TJ consistently finishes in the national top 10.

The ranking arrives as FCPS prepares for the next TJ freshman admissions cycle for the class entering fall 2027. Families can find application details and timeline updates on the FCPS TJ admissions page or by calling the admissions office at 571-423-3770, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.