This WA children’s hospital is one of the best in US, report says. Which one?
If the unthinkable happens and your child becomes seriously ill, finding the best medical care for them is likely to be a top priority.
New rankings from U.S. News & World Report, published Oct. 7, aim to help parents and caregivers in that exact situation by highlighting the best children’s hospitals around the country by location and specialty.
One Washington hospital frequently appears in the 2025-26 rankings.
Seattle Children’s Hospital placed first in the state and tied for first in the Pacific region, according to U.S. News & World Report. It also ranked highly in multiple specialties and earned another national distinction.
Here’s a closer look:
How does Seattle Children’s Hospital rank?
Seattle Children’s Hospital ranked as the top children’s hospital in Washington for 2025-26, per U.S. News & World Report.
It also tied for No. 1 in the Pacific region, alongside Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, per U.S. News & World Report. The region includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.
Meanwhile, the Seattle hospital ranked in the top 10 nationwide in several specialties, including pediatric diabetes and endocrinology (No. 9), pediatric neonatology (No. 9), pediatric nephrology (No. 8), pediatric neurology and neurosurgery (No. 9), pediatric pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 10), and pediatric urology (tied for No. 10), according to U.S. News & World Report.
It also was recognized for pediatric and adolescent behavioral health, although that category has new methodology so U.S. News & World Report isn’t doing a numbered ranking.
Finally, Seattle Children’s Hospital was one of 10 children’s hospitals named to the national honor roll as part of the 2025-26 ranking.
The 10 hospitals all placed first or tied for first in their state and region and provide “exceptionally high-quality care across multiple specialties,” according to U.S. News & World report.
Seattle Children’s Hospital had more than 10,200 active employees in fiscal year 2024 and saw 526,855 patient visits, according to its website. It regularly appears on U.S. News’ children’s hospital rankings, it said.
Which children’s hospitals made U.S. News’ national honor roll?
Here are the 10 children’s hospitals from around the country named to U.S. News & World Report’s honor roll (listed in alphabetical order):
- 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
How did U.S. News determine the best children’s hospitals?
U.S. News & World Report based its rankings on data from 118 children’s hospitals around the country, plus expert opinion from thousands of pediatric physicians, the outlet said.
A large part of each hospital’s score was tied to “objective measures of excellence,” such as commitment to patient safety and clinical resources, the outlet said. Patient outcomes also made up a significant portion of the score, and so did the opinion of pediatric specialists and subspecialists collected via survey, per the outlet.
U.S. News said it worked with the research firm RTI International to gather and examine the data.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "This WA children’s hospital is one of the best in US, report says. Which one?."
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