One of the best children’s hospitals in the country is right here in DC

Children’s National Hospital in D.C. has been named one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

Children’s National was one of 10 children’s hospitals to be named to the 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll. Those hospitals “really have the maximum breadth and depth of excellence,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News.

The annual rankings are compiled by evaluating children’s hospitals across the country in various categories, Harder said, including specialties such as cardiology, cancer, orthopedics and neonatology.

In response to a rise in need for youth mental health services, the outlet added an 11th category — behavioral health — to the hospitals it evaluated this year.

“The goal of having these different specialty rankings is to help parents and families who need a particular type of care identify the right hospital for their child’s needs,” Harder said.

Children’s National is the lone children’s hospital to make the outlet’s rankings in D.C. It’s ranked in the top five in two specialties — pediatric cancer and pediatric neurology and neurosurgery.

In Maryland, meanwhile, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore is ranked first overall. It’s ranked among the best in the U.S. in all of the 11 specialty areas evaluated, Harder said.

Three hospitals in Virginia made the rankings — University of Virginia Children’s Hospital in Charlottesville is the highest ranked in the state, followed by Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital in Falls Church, which is ranked one of the best in the country in neonatology.

U.S. News reviews dozens of quality indicators in the specialty areas “to help give parents a starting point when they’re confronted with a medical challenge for their family,” Harder said.

The 2024-2025 honor roll list, in alphabetic order, includes:

  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora
  • Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
  • Cincinnati Children’s
  • Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
  • Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego
  • Seattle Children’s Hospital
  • Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston

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Scott Gelman

Scott Gelman is a digital editor and writer for WTOP. A South Florida native, Scott graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019. During his time in College Park, he worked for The Diamondback, the school’s student newspaper.

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