North Allegheny snags top spot in 2026 Niche ratings as best school district in Pittsburgh area

North Allegheny School District achieved the No. 1 spot as the best school district in the Pittsburgh area, and second out of 494 other districts in the state, according to the 2026 K-12 School and District Niche ratings.

It also scored third in the state as the best place to teach in Pennsylvania and for having the best teachers in Pennsylvania.

“We are extremely proud of our students, faculty, staff and administration for their dedicated commitment to excellence and for making our district such a special place,” Superintendent Brendan Hyland said.

After North Allegheny, the next four best school districts in the Pittsburgh area are Mt. Lebanon, Fox Chapel Area, Upper St. Clair and South Fayette, in that order.

North Allegheny continues to rank high in the U.S., capturing No. 25 out of more than 10,000 school districts but down one spot from 24 in the 2025 rankings.

For athletes, it also ranks second in the U.S. and first in Pennsylvania.

And it makes top billing for the best school district in Allegheny County out of 41.

Overall, North Allegheny scored an A-plus.

“Through our strategic and comprehensive planning, we believe we are on a very strong path, but we also know that we must stay committed to pushing even harder, continually improving and building upon our successes and learning from our opportunities for growth,” Hyland said.

Other districts in the top 10 in the Pittsburgh area, from six to 10, were Hampton, Peters Township, Montour, Franklin Regional and Quaker Valley.

Aquinas Academy in Hampton achieved the fifth spot for best private school for grades kindergarten through 12th in the Pittsburgh area. And Eden Christian Academy, with locations in Marshall, Ross and Ohio Township, stands at No. 8.

Niche publishes its “best of” lists annually, including schools. School districts and others listed in the rankings do not pay to be included, and it involves a very “detailed, rigorous process,” according to Alicia Stetzer, spokesperson for Niche, when providing details on last year’s ranks.

Niche’s rankings combine user input. For school districts, this includes ratings from current students, alumni and parents combined with quantitative data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities, extracurricular activity opportunities and more, she said.

As for the top school district in the nation, Niche gives that honor to Glenbrook High School District 225 in Glenville, Ill. In fact, five of the top 10 best school districts in America hail from Illinois and four are in New York.

While North Allegheny scored an A-plus in categories such as academics, teachers, clubs and activities, it scored a B-minus in diversity. A solid A was earned in food.

For details about the listings, visit niche.com.