We are proud to share that Catalina Foothills High School has once again been recognized in the Gold category as a “Best High School” in the U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools Rankings for 2025–2026. CFHS is ranked:

• #2 among Tucson non-selective district high schools (#5 in the Tucson Metro Area overall).

• #4 among Arizona non-selective district high schools (#25 in Arizona High Schools overall).

• #1,711 nationally out of nearly 18,000 schools evaluated.

These results reflect the hard work of our students, teachers, and families. At CFHS:

• 74% of students are proficient in reading, 52% in math, and 46% in science.
  
  

• Nearly half of our students (47%) identify as minority students, and we remain committed to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive.

What the Rankings Measure

The U.S. News Best High Schools Rankings are based on six main factors:

1. College Readiness (40%)
   How many 12th graders took at least one AP® or IB exam, and how many passed.
   
   

2. State Assessment Proficiency (20%)
   The percentage of students who scored proficient or higher on state math, reading, and science exams.
   
   

3. State Assessment Performance (20%)
   Whether students performed better or worse on state tests than expected, given the school’s socioeconomic makeup.
   
   

4. Underserved Student Performance (10%)
   How well Black, Hispanic, and low-income students performed compared to state averages for those groups.
   
   

5. College Curriculum Breadth (10%)
   The percentage of seniors who took and passed multiple AP® or IB exams.
   
   

6. Graduation Rate (10%)
   The percentage of students who graduate within four years.
   

What the Rankings Miss

Essential parts of a school’s quality, including arts, athletics, extracurricular opportunities, career and technical education (CTE), world languages, school culture, and social-emotional supports, are not part of the ranking formula. Families should view rankings as only one piece of the picture.

Because U.S. News applies the same formula across all school types, comparisons can be misleading.

• District schools, like CFHS, serve every student in their boundaries and those who open-enroll in our school.
  
  

• Charter schools can be selective and accept students aligned with their mission, set contracts for families as part of their enrollment obligation, and, in some cases, require all students to take AP exams, directly boosting their passing rates and scores.
  
  

• Magnet schools specialize in certain areas and may use selective admissions.

As a result, the rankings may reward schools based on who they serve and how they are structured, rather than providing a full measure of school quality.

The Bottom Line

We celebrate CFHS’s outstanding placement in the U.S. News rankings as a reflection of the dedication of our students, teachers, and families. At the same time, we know that rankings only capture part of the story.

CFHS prepares students not only for academic success, but also for life beyond the classroom, through visual and performing arts, CTE, athletics, robotics, world languages, community service, and more. That is the heart of what makes our school and our community extraordinary, and it's something that makes us extremely proud.