National Top 40 Public HSFB Programs (2021–2025) Part 1

Public Schools Top 25 | National Series — Edition 52: National Top 40 Section 1 - Honorable Mentions + #26-#40

After ranking every state and Washington D.C., it’s finally time to zoom out and look at the full national picture.

This list was not built off hype, recruiting stars, or one magical season.
It was built the same way the full 50-state series was built:
championship volume
classification weight
state strength
five-year consistency
and where each program stood within its own state hierarchy
That matters.

Some programs stacked titles in lower classes. Others won fewer championships, but did it in the biggest brackets in the country. Some programs made title games year after year in football-rich states where just reaching December is a résumé builder by itself.

Before the Top 40 begins, a few perfect-run dynasties deserve recognition.
Honorable Mentions

These programs were too dominant to leave out completely, but class and state-weight context kept them just outside the ranked Top 40.

Kendrick (ID)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion
2022 — State Champion
2023 — State Champion
2024 — State Champion
2025 — State Champion
Five straight state titles is a remarkable accomplishment. The only thing that kept Kendrick just outside the Top 40 is the small-school / specialty-format context nationally.

Royal (WA)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (1A)
2022 — State Champion (1A)
2023 — State Champion (1A)
2024 — State Champion (1A)
2025 — State Champion (1A)
Five straight Washington state titles in 11-man football is a huge résumé. But within Washington’s own hierarchy, larger-class programs still carried more national weight.

Garden City (NY)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — Long Island Champion
2022 — Long Island Champion
2023 — Long Island Champion
2024 — Long Island Champion
2025 — Long Island Champion
Unbeatable in its ecosystem, with five straight county and Long Island titles. The separate Long Island structure made this more of an honor-roll résumé than a ranked Top 40 résumé.

40. West Boca Raton (FL)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2024 — State Champion (Class 6A)
2025 — State Champion (Class 6A)
Back-to-back titles in a large Florida classification is enough to make the national board. West Boca closed the five-year window with one of the strongest late surges in the country.

39. Mill Valley (KS)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (Class 5A)
2022 — State Champion (Class 5A)
2023 — State Champion (Class 5A)
A Kansas 5A three-peat is a serious résumé. Mill Valley built one of the cleanest upper-class runs in the Midwest during this window.

38. Lakeland (FL)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2022 — State Champion (Class 4S)
2023 — State Champion (Class 4S)
Lakeland reasserted itself with back-to-back championships and maintained statewide relevance throughout the era. The Dreadnaughts remain one of the strongest public brands in the country.

37. Middletown (DE)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (Class 3A)
2024 — State Champion (Class 3A)
2025 — State Champion (Class 3A)
Three titles in Delaware’s highest class gave Middletown the clearest résumé in the state. That kind of control at the top classification earns a national spot.

36. Miami Central (FL)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (Class 5A)
2022 — State Champion (Class 2M / Metro)
Two championships in South Florida, plus one of the strongest talent pipelines in the country, made Miami Central impossible to leave off. The Rockets remained nationally relevant even beyond the hardware.

35. T.F. Riggs (SD)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (Class 11AA)
2022 — State Champion (Class 11AA)
2023 — State Champion (Class 11AA)
2024 — State Runner-Up (Class 11AA)
2025 — State Champion (Class 11AA)
Five straight finals and four state titles made Riggs the defining South Dakota dynasty of the era. That kind of consistency belongs on any national résumé board.

34. Cleveland (NM)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (Class 6A)
2022 — State Champion (Class 6A)
2023 — State Runner-Up (Class 6A)
2024 — State Champion (Class 6A)
2025 — State Champion (Class 6A)
Four titles and a runner-up in New Mexico’s highest classification is a huge résumé. Cleveland completely controlled the state’s top bracket for most of the five-year window.

33. Cocoa (FL)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2022 — State Champion (Class 2S)
2023 — State Champion (Class 2S)
2024 — State Champion (Class 2A)
Three state titles in Florida is elite production, no matter the class. Cocoa stacked more championships than any other Florida public program in this five-year stretch.

32. Toms River North (NJ)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2022 — State Champion (Group V)
2023 — State Champion (Group V)
2024 — State Champion (Group V)
Three straight titles in New Jersey’s highest public group gave Toms River North one of the strongest public-school résumés in the Northeast.

31. Venice (FL)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (Class 8A)
2024 — State Champion (Class 7A)
This is one of the strongest two-title résumés in the country because of where those titles came. Winning Florida’s top enrollment brackets carries maximum weight.

30. Andale (KS)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (Class 3A)
2022 — State Champion (Class 3A)
2024 — State Champion (Class 3A)
2025 — State Champion (Class 3A)
Four titles in five seasons is national-level hardware production. Andale built one of the most efficient and consistent dynasties in the country.

29. Edna Karr (LA)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2024 — State Champion (Division I Select)
2025 — State Champion (Division I Select)
A normal two-title résumé would not always rank this high. But Edna Karr’s path through Louisiana Select competition made these titles significantly heavier.

28. Thomas County Central (GA)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2023 — State Champion (Class 5A)
2025 — State Champion (Class 6A)
Winning in two upper classifications in Georgia gives Thomas County Central one of the most impressive “state-weighted” résumés on the board.

27. Somers (NY)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Runner-Up (Class A)
2022 — State Champion (Class A)
2023 — State Champion (Class A)
2024 — State Champion (Class A)
Four straight finals and three straight titles made Somers the best full-state résumé in New York over this period.

26. Martinsburg (WV)
Accomplishments (2021–2025):
2021 — State Champion (AAA / top class)
2023 — State Champion (AAA / top class)
2024 — State Champion (AAAA / top class after realignment)
2025 — State Runner-Up (AAAA)
Martinsburg remained the standard through classification changes and still came away with three titles and another finals appearance.

That wraps up Part 1 of the National Top 40 Public HSFB Programs (2021–2025).
The names are getting bigger.
The résumés are getting heavier.
And if you thought the debate started here, just wait.
Tomorrow we move into the true heavyweight tier with 25–11, where multiple state dynasties, top-class champions, and national powers begin to stack on top of each other.
There are still four-time champions, five-peat programs, and some of the most difficult championship paths in the country still to come.

— Alex | T25PS