 In 2010, NPA was ranked as the 23rd top public high school in the United States by Newsweek Magazine.In 2011, NPA was ranked as the 12th top public high school in the United States by The Washington Post.In 2018, NPA was ranked as the 28th most Challenging high school in the United States by The Washington Post, and 96% of students passed at least one college-level exam during their high school career.