Princeton High School Ranking for College Admissions

I’ve Read Dozens of Apps from Princeton High School. Here’s What Actually Matters.

As a former admissions officer who reviewed applications from New Jersey, I’ve seen firsthand how Princeton High School students stack up. It’s a competitive group of students at a highly-ranked high school.

But when an application from Princeton High School landed on my desk, I didn’t think, “Wow, this school is top-ranked!” I thought, “How does this student compare to the other sparkly applicants from this school?” Because that’s how selective admissions works—contextualizing each applicant within their school group.

Let’s unpack what that really means for your student.

Princeton High School Ranking: What the Internet Says

According to Niche, Princeton High School earns an impressive A+ overall grade:

• #2 Best Public High School in Mercer County
  
  
• #12 Best Public High School in New Jersey
  
  
• #9 Best College Prep Public High School in NJ
  
  

Over on U.S. News, it’s:

• #617 Nationally
  
  
• #33 in New Jersey
  
  
• #156 in STEM High Schools
  
  

These accolades reflect a high-achieving, well-resourced school. But they don’t tell you how admissions officers actually evaluate students from Princeton High.

What the Princeton High School Profile Tells Colleges

Princeton High’s school profile shows the actual context AOs care about:

• Enrollment: ~1,530 students
  
  
• GPA Scale: Weighted and unweighted GPAs reported; AP/Accelerated courses earn 5.0 max
  
  
• No class rank reported: AOs must estimate a student’s standing via GPA and rigor
  
  
• Available Course Rigor: APs in nearly every discipline (Physics C, Multivariable Calc, 5 AP Histories)

Based on this data, AOs know that many students at Princeton are high-achieving.

How Admissions Officers Read Students from Princeton High

To sort through lots of high-achieving students, admissions officers generally take the following steps:

1. Sort by “School Group”

Admissions officers read Princeton High students in batches. If 25 apply to Cornell, those files get read back-to-back. Your GPA is compared to the other 24 students from Princeton, not students from Boise or Atlanta or Portland.

2. Sort by GPA

Applications are often sorted top-down by GPA. At Princeton, where unweighted GPAs above 3.9 are common, even a 3.8 can give your application an uphill battle.

3. Rigor Is Important

With nearly 700 students taking AP exams—and a pass rate over 90%—admissions officers expect you to max out your rigor. 

4. Year-Over-Year Benchmarking

Admissions offices compare trends across years. If last year’s Princeton admits to Duke were all taking Multivariable Calc and four APs senior year, that sets a benchmark. If your schedule looks lighter, that matters.

Strategic Takeaways for Princeton Families

For Families Considering Princeton High

If your student is an independent learner who tends to thrive in rigorous environments and seeks out challenge, Princeton can provide the context that bolsters a strong app. 

For Current Princeton High Students

Selective college admissions is about more than “doing well.” That’s why it’s important to have a strategy. Start by asking:

• Am I in the top 10% GPA-wise?
  
  
• Have I taken the most rigorous courses available to me?
  
  
• Am I carving out a unique narrative beyond the classroom?

One Last Thing: Your Strategy Matters More Than Your School

Being strategic about how you show up on paper—especially in the context of your school profile—is what makes a good application strategy.

That’s what we help families with every day. If you’re wondering how your student’s application might read in the context of Princeton High, we’d love to talk.

👉 Book a 1:1 consultation with our team