OFFICIAL: Top 20 School Districts in Western New York

The top 5 seeds have changed a little bit over the past couple of years in Western New York. Which school districts are the best in Western New York? Here are the top 20 school districts so far as we have started the 2026-2027 school year:

The data was compiled from Niche, a top school polling platform and take the following criteria into place when they do the rankings. Each one is not weighted the same.

The criteria are:

• Academics
• Teachers
• Clubs and activities
• Diversity
• College Prep
• Admin

It is no secret that Western New York and New York State in general has some of the best teachers in all of the United States. There are a lot of frustrating things about living in New York State, but if you ever go to another state--our education department is above and beyond. Here are the top school districts so far this school year.

What are the top 20 school districts in Western New York in 2026-2027?

1. Williamsville
2. Clarence
3. Amherst
4. Eat Aurora
5. GI
6. Orchard Park
7. Lancaster
8. Hamburg
9. Alden
10. Depew
11. Akron
12. West Seneca
13. Frontier
14. Lakeshore
15. Iroquois
16. Springville
17. Sweet Home
18. Cleve-Hill
19. Kenmore Tonawanda
20. Cheektowaga - Maryvale
21. Buffalo
22. Cheektowaga Central