The best children’s heart hospitals in the US

U.S. News & World Report has once again shared its annual ranking of the top children’s hospitals in the United States. The report includes an overall ranking as well as separate lists for several categories, including behavioral health, cancer and cardiology and heart surgery.

Nearly 200 facilities were eligible for the annual report. Rankings were based on a mix of hospital resources, infection prevention, outcomes data and responses to a survey of thousands of board-certified physicians.

This represents the 19th annual edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital report. According to U.S. News, the goal is to provide parents and other caregivers with a helpful resource that can help with the diagnosis and treatment of serious, complex medical conditions.

“The data are clear: one in five U.S. children has a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder and nearly one in three youth ages 12 to 17 are navigating a mental or behavioral health condition,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, said in a prepared statement. “U.S. News' continued evaluation of the top hospitals for pediatric and adolescent behavioral health empowers families with the information they need to make the most informed decisions for their child’s wellbeing and health.”

A familiar name at the top

Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston was once again ranked the No. 1 children’s hospital for Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery. It also took home the top honor for that category in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. 

Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colorado, landed at No. 2 this year, up from No. 6 in 2023’s ranking. Meanwhile, Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center in Durham, North Carolina; MUSC Children’s Heart Program of South Carolina in Charleston; and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, rounded out the top 5.