The basics:

• Two New Jersey children’s hospitals recognized in U.S. News rankings
• HMH’s Sanzari and Hovnanian hospitals rank No. 10 in the Mid-Atlantic
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital places No. 16 in the region
• Both systems earned national recognition in multiple specialties

While no children’s hospitals in New Jersey appear on this year’s national honor roll rankings from U.S. News & World Report, one facility did break into the top 10 in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Released Oct. 7, the 2025-2026 Best Children’s Hospitals names the top 86 pediatric facilities nationwide, along with regional and specialty rankings. Two Garden State facilities ranked:

• No. 1: Hackensack Meridian Health JM Sanzari and K Hovnanian Children’s Hospitals
  • Tied for No. 10 in the Mid-Atlantic, as well as placed nationally across five children’s specialties
• No. 2: Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
  • Listed at No. 16 in the region, while also ranking nationally in two specialties

Simply the ‘best’

Now in its 19th edition, the collection aims to assist parents, caregivers and physicians in finding the best care for the tiniest patients. According to U.S. News, a “best” hospital may be a good option.

“Our annual rankings of pediatric hospitals provide a roadmap to exceptional care for families, not just by specialty, but also by region and state,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News.

New Jersey sits within U.S. News’ Mid-Atlantic region along with all or parts of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Locally, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s National Hospital (Washington) tied for first.

In addition to the second annual Best Children’s Hospitals for Pediatric & Adolescent Behavioral Health, the 2025-2026 Best Children’s Hospitals edition evaluated 10 other pediatric specialties. For the former, the publication considers hospitals in term of care for conditions such as autism, anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, language and learning disorders, and substance abuse and addiction.

According to Harder, 1 in 5 U.S. children has a mental, emotional behavioral or developmental disorder. At the time same, almost 1 in 3 youth ages 12 to 17 are navigating a mental or behavioral condition, he said.

This year’s alphabetical list of the nation’s top 50 hospitals for the Pediatric & Adolescent Behavioral Health includes HMH’s Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune — listed together as the only representative from New Jersey.

In other specialty areas:

• HMH’s Sanzari & Hovnanian Children’s Hospitals ranked:
  • No. 39 nationally for Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology
  • No. 40 nationally for Pediatric Nephrology
  • No. 47 nationally for Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • No. 41 nationally for Pediatric Urology
• RWJ’s Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at RWJUH in New Brunswick ranked:
  • No. 48 nationally for Pediatric Urology

No New Jersey facility appeared in the rankings for the remaining pediatric specialties: Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Neonatology,  Orthopedics, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery and Urology.

Hackensack Meridian Health’s Sanzari & Hovnanian Children’s Hospitals, which file under a joint program, and RWJ’s Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital hold distinction as the only New Jersey facilities to earn U.S. News’ badge for three years now (2024–2025 and 2023–2024).

U.S. News and North Carolina-based research firm RTI International collected and analyzed data from 118 children’s hospitals. The effort also included surveying thousands of pediatric physicians.

According to U.S. News, a “best” designation denotes a facility that excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, compliance with established best practices, and level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care.