FAIRHOPE — Fairhope High School has earned the number ten spot in USNews.com’s list of top high schools in Alabama.
Over 350 Alabama schools made the list, with Fairhope High as the highest-ranking school in the area.
“Any time our kids and teachers get recognized is a great thing for us,” said Principal Jon Cardwell. “It gets our secret out about how great we are at Fairhope High School. This recognition is the culmination of all the hard work these teachers put in. I think every high school principal would say that it all starts at the elementary level, and our elementary and middle schools are fantastic. The product they send to us just makes my job that much easier.”
The school has approximately 1,630 students, with an estimated staff of 150 employees.
Cardwell said the school didn’t know the ranking until the list was publicly released.

He said the staff doesn’t specifically work to earn the accolade but rather works each day to improve. And, considering USNews.com’s list, people are taking notice.
“Fairhope High School is a special place,” Cardwell said. “I am so proud of the City of Fairhope, all of our schools and our community. The community is so invested in our schools. I mean, raising the taxes to go towards schools? They did that intentionally; nobody just votes for that for nothing. They trusted us and believed in us, and in our elementary and middle schools.”
Of the 359 Alabama schools, other local schools that made the list include: Fairhope High at 10, Daphne High at 40, Spanish Fort High at 59, Robertsdale High at 121, Baldwin County Virtual Secondary School at 165, Foley High School at 181 and Baldwin County High School at 223.
Multiple factors are taken into consideration to determine the rankings.
College readiness counts for 30%. State assessment proficiency, or aggregated scores on state assessments, is worth 20%. State assessment performance is also worth 20%. Underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rate are all worth 10% each.
According to U.S. News, “A great high school educates all students from different social and economic backgrounds, exposing them to challenging coursework on a path to graduation. The highest ranked U.S. public schools in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best High Schools are those whose students demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math, reading and science state assessments, earned qualifying scores in an array of college-level exams and graduated in high proportions.”
“If you want to be in a great place, then come to Fairhope,” Cardwell said. “Nobody’s perfect, but we work hard every single day to keep improving and getting better.”
To view the full list of Alabama schools that ranked or to learn more about the grading process, visit USNews.com.