William Mason High School scored 96.88 out of 100 in the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings, placing it 560th out of 17,945 schools nationally.

That puts the 3,435-student school in the top 3% of ranked high schools in the country, according to the district, which announced the results Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Mason also landed at No. 22 among 702 Ohio high schools, No. 10 in the Cincinnati metro area and No. 351 nationally for STEM. The school is the only high school in the Mason City School District.

The annual U.S. News rankings evaluate schools on college readiness, which carries 30% of the overall score, along with college curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency and performance, and graduation rates. The publication reviewed more than 27,000 public high schools and ranked roughly 18,000 of them this cycle.

Test scores and AP participation

Mason students outperformed Ohio averages across all three subjects U.S. News tracks. Science proficiency hit 90%, compared with 60% statewide. Reading proficiency reached 86%, versus 60% statewide. Math proficiency stood at 76%, nearly double the 40% state average.

Sixty-eight percent of Mason students take at least one Advanced Placement exam, and 55% pass at least one, according to the U.S. News school profile. The school's 12th-grade class numbers 884 students. The graduation rate exceeds 95%.

How Mason compares

In a previous ranking cycle, Mason placed No. 426 nationally and No. 10 in Ohio. The shift in national position may reflect changes in the size of the ranked pool rather than a change in school performance.

Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, holds the No. 1 spot nationally this year.

The district, led by Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Cooper, said in its announcement that the recognition reflects what the school community sees daily: students pushing themselves academically and educators investing in learners. Principal Ben Brown leads the school, which serves grades 9 through 12 within a district of approximately 10,155 students.