Most public schools in New Orleans are part of one of two school systems, though these will reunify in 2018 without expecting to affect the current status quo. Students of charter schools take the same standardized as other public schools and schools must show improvement in student test scores in order to remain open. The top seven public high schools in New Orleans based on figures from state performance grades released November 17, 2016 are:

1. Benjamin Franklin High School

Nine hundred students are enrolled at the school, with less than 5 percent requiring special education. Thirty-six percent of students were considered economically disadvantaged
Grade A+ school with a SPS score of 140.3 and an ACT average score of 28.9, more than ninety-five percent of students will graduate with a diploma within four years and eighty-one percent of students enrolling in college after graduation. Eighty-one percent of graduates scored 3+ on Advanced Placement Test or 50+ on CLEP. Graduates Earning TOPS-aligned Dual Enrolment Credit improved to thirty-six percent.

2. Haynes Academy School for Advanced Studies

Graded A+ and with a SPS score: 140.3, Haynes Academy School for Advanced Studies has more than ninety-five of all students on track for end of course exams. The ACT Average Score is 30. Ninety-nine percent of graduates are earning 18 or more on ACT or Silver and Higher on WorkKeys Certificates. More than ninety-five percent of students will graduate with a diploma within four years. This school has excellent facilities for athletics and the annual school play is the highlight for many students and their parents.

3. Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy

With SAT scores of 29 and ninety-nine percent proficiency in reading and math, it is unsurprising that AP enrolment at Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy where every student has passed at least one AP exam is one hundred percent. Just under 5 percent of the teaching staff are in the first or second year of teaching, the rest are more experienced teachers.

4. Lusher Charter School

Ninety-five percent of Luscher Charter year twelve students will graduate after four years. The schools ACT average score is 28 (out of a possible 36). Reading and math proficiency is at ninety-nine and ninety-seven percent respectively. AP enrolment is at forty-eight percent with seventy-seven percent of students passing at least one AP exam.

5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Advanced Studies Rankings

The average graduation rate is ninety-five percent with an average ACT of 26. Reading and math proficiency are both ninety-five percent based on the Louisiana state tests (which may be different to other states). AP enrolment is twenty-three percent with ninety-one percent of all students passing at least one AP exam.

6. Chalmette High School

Rated as the third best high school for athletes in Louisiana, the average graduation rate at Chalmette High School is eighty-five percent, with an average ACT of 23. The percentage of students that scored at or above proficiency levels on their state reading/language arts assessment test was seventy-nine percent and for math, eighty-three percent. AP enrolment was fourteen percent with thirty-seven percent passing at least one AP exam.

7. Belle Chasse High School

The percentage of twelfth graders who graduated was eighty-seven percent. The average ACT is 24. Reading proficiency was eighty-three percent and in math was seventy-three percent. AP enrolment was low and only sixty-seven percent of AP students passed at least one AP exam. The high ranking came from universal agreement among students polled that they like their school and feel safe there.