Best in Class: UK, US highschools take the lead in HSBC Hurun Global Rankings

London’s Westminster School has topped the HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools list for the third consecutive year, with a commanding academic record and centuries of legacy. The annual index, unveiled this week, ranks the world’s top-performing high schools based on student placement into elite universities like Oxbridge and the Ivy League.

According to the Hurun report, all Top 10 schools are located either in the United Kingdom or the United States, and together they boast an average history of 278 years. Half of them are co-educational, while the other half are single-sex institutions — three for girls and two for boys.

School Snapshots:

• Westminster School (London) led the list, sending over 40% of its 200 annual graduates to Oxbridge. Boys join at 13, girls at 16.
• St Paul’s School (London) moved to second position, with around 40 of 220 students each year heading to Oxbridge or Ivy League institutions.
• The Dalton School (New York) fell to third place, still placing 20% of students at top US universities like Harvard and MIT.
• St Paul’s Girls’ School (London) remained at fourth, consistently sending a third of its 120 graduates to Oxbridge or the Ivy League.
• King’s College School (London) climbed into the top five, driven by improving placement results, as per the report.
• Winchester College (UK), a fully boarding institution with 600+ years of history, surged seven spots to rejoin the top tier.
• The Brearley, Spence, and Collegiate Schools (New York) each maintained strong records, despite minor drops in rankings.
• With 10th position, Saint Ann’s School (Brooklyn) concluded the list. More than 30% of its students progressing to top US colleges.

Trends and Geography:
Geographic dominance: 45% of the top high schools are in the US, followed by 40% in the UK, said the Hurun list.
China ranks third globally with 9% representation.

City leaders: London and New York are home to the largest number of top schools, followed by Boston, Washington DC, and Shanghai, which surpassed Oxford.