If you’re raising a kid in Trussville, you probably already know the school system has a pretty strong reputation. Now there’s another national ranking to back it up.

Hewitt-Trussville High School has been named one of the top 5% of public high schools in the country in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

HTHS landed at No. 679 nationally, placing it among the highest-ranked public high schools in the nation. It also earned a No. 5 ranking in Alabama.

But the number that may be most interesting to Trussville families isn’t where the school landed this year. It’s how quickly it has moved.

HTHS has been climbing

Over the last several years, HTHS has steadily moved up the U.S. News rankings in Alabama:

• 2022: No. 15
• 2023: No. 12
• 2024: No. 9
• 2025: No. 7
• 2026: No. 5

That’s a pretty consistent upward trajectory — and one that today’s elementary and middle school parents will eventually see play out with their own kids.

What are students doing at HTHS?

One of the clearest indicators in the new report is the school’s AP participation.

About 65% of HTHS students took at least one Advanced Placement exam, with roughly half of the student body passing at least one AP exam. That represents hundreds of students taking on college-level coursework while still in high school.

The school’s academic performance was also strong across several areas, including:

• 56% math proficiency
• 59% reading proficiency
• 65% science proficiency

U.S. News’ rankings consider a combination of academic achievement, college readiness, curriculum opportunities and student performance rather than relying on a single test score.

And HTHS performed particularly well when it came to preparing students for what’s next: its college-readiness ranking was No. 4 in Alabama.

Why this matters before your child ever gets to high school

For parents of elementary-aged kids, a high school ranking can feel like something that’s a decade away.

But high school outcomes don’t happen in isolation.

The academic expectations, instructional support and opportunities students experience throughout their K–12 years all contribute to what happens when they eventually reach high school.

That’s part of what makes this recognition notable for Trussville City Schools as a whole. HTHS is the end of the pipeline — and the students arriving there have spent years building the skills that allow them to take advantage of AP classes, advanced coursework and college-prep opportunities.

So whether your child is already walking the halls of Hewitt-Trussville or you’re currently buying kindergarten school supplies, this is one of those local education stories worth paying attention to.

No. 679 in the country is a pretty impressive spot. And for a district that’s been moving upward year after year, it will be interesting to see what’s next.