Lone Peak High School landed at No. 14 in Utah in the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings, released Wednesday, Aug. 19, placing the school just outside the state's top 10.

The ranking gives families in Alpine, Highland and Cedar Hills a data point on how their neighborhood high school stacks up against nearly 18,000 public high schools evaluated nationwide.

According to U.S. News, Lone Peak's AP participation rate is 45%, with a 12th-grade class of 881 students. Six percent of students are economically disadvantaged. The school is one of 15 high schools in the Alpine School District.

Who beat Lone Peak?

The schools ranked 11th through 13th, just ahead of Lone Peak, are Beehive Science and Technology Academy in Sandy (No. 11), Bingham High School (No. 12) and Salt Lake Center for Science Education (No. 13).

Utah's new No. 1 is Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, a charter school in Lindon that scored 97.78 on the U.S. News scorecard and ranked No. 399 nationally. Maeser Prep's senior class has 88 students, roughly one-tenth the size of Lone Peak's graduating class, illustrating the scale difference between a small charter and a large traditional high school.

Beehive Science and Technology Academy, which had held Utah's top spot for several years, dropped to No. 11 this cycle.

"It's humbling and validating to know that it is working," Maeser Prep executive director Robyn Ellis told the Deseret News on Aug. 19. "It resonates with our community — and what we do has tremendous value to education."

How the rankings work

College readiness accounts for 30% of a school's overall score, measuring the proportion of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP or IB exam. Earning a qualifying score counts three times more than simply sitting for the test. Other factors include state assessment proficiency, graduation rates and "college curriculum breadth," which tracks qualifying scores across multiple subject areas.

New leadership at Lone Peak

Principal Tim Thompson took over at Lone Peak ahead of the 2026-27 school year. Alpine School District announced his appointment on May 22. Thompson previously led Vista Heights for six years and served as assistant principal at American Fork High School.

In his introductory letter to the Lone Peak community in May, Thompson wrote: "I know Lone Peak already has something special, and my goal is not to change that, but to learn from you, build relationships, and contribute in a way that adds value."

Thompson enters his first year leading a school that now carries a top-15 state ranking and an 881-student senior class heading into AP season.