Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the top pediatric hospital in Florida for the fifth time in the past six years.
The publication’s Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, released Tuesday, has analyzed specialty care at children’s hospitals annually since 2007 to help families and providers make informed decisions for kids with complex or critical medical needs.
All Children’s, which was also rated the fourth-best pediatric facility in the Southeast, was boosted by nationally rankings in eight pediatric specialties. It was rated excellent in several categories, including nurse staffing, clinical services, specialized clinics, infection prevention, commitment to best practices, neonatal intensive care unit temperature management, familiy support, and tracking of growth metrics.
Florida Best Children’s Hospitals
- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg (Southeast No. 4)
- Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Miami (Southeast No. 6)
- Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando (Southeast No. 6)
- Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital at Memorial, Hollywood (Southeast No. 11)
- UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, Jacksonville (Southeast No. 11)
- Nemours Children’s Hospital-Florida, Orlando (Southeast No. 14)
- Heltz Children’s Hospital at UM-Jackson Memorial Medical Center, Miami (Southeast No. 16)
- Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Jacksonville (Southeast No. 17)
- AdventHealth for Children, Orlando (Southeast No. 17)
Source: U.S. News & World Report 2025-26 Best Children's Hospitals
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando were ranked second and third, respectively, and both ranked No. 6 in the region. Six other facilities were also recognized among the state’s best and in the top 20 in the Southeast.
Despite strong regional showings, no Florida hospital has yet to crack the top 10 nationally in any of the 11 pediatric specialties evaluated to determine the rankings.
Nor has one been recognized on the publication’s national Honor Roll, hospitals that performed exceptionally across multiple specialties. This year, those 10 facilities included Boston Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. No numerical rankings are assigned.
“The more specialties they are among the best in the country, the higher they are in our state and regional rankings — and that really helps families identify hospitals that have a breadth of expertise in caring for pediatric patients with challenging illnesses,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, said.
Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando was among a group of 50 listed among the best hospitals for pediatric and adolescent behavioral health. Nemours was rated excellent in emergency and urgent care for behavioral health and involving families in care planning.
The category, in its second year, evaluates care for conditions including autism, anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, language and learning disorders, and substance use and addiction.
The category was added to address the growing mental health crisis among youth and to provide families with crucial data for finding care. According to U.S. News, hospitals encouraged the addition of the category, recognizing it as an under-resourced area.
“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,” Harder said.
Four Florida hospitals were in the behavior health rankings last year but missed out this time: AdventHealth for Children and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood and UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville.
U.S. News said the methodology behind the category is still maturing.
The Best Children’s Hospitals were based on a mix of outcomes, safety measures, clinical resources, family-centered care and expert opinion. Data came from 118 children’s hospitals and more than 36,000 pediatric specialists, U.S. News said.
The 11 pediatric specialties are: pediatric and adolescent behavioral health, gastroenterology and GI surgery, pediatric cancer, pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, pediatric neonatology, pediatric nephrology, pediatric neurology and neurosurgery, pediatric orthopedics, pediatric pulmonology and lung surgery, and pediatric urology.
U.S. News' Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll
- Boston Children's Hospital: earned its top rankings in neonatology, neurology/neurosurgery and urology.
- Cincinnati Children's: earned its top rankings in cancer, gastroenterology/GI surgery, and pulmonology/lung surgery.
- Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora: earned its top ranking in diabetes/endocrinology.
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles: earned its top rankings in orthopedics and urology.
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: earned its top rankings in diabetes/endocrinology and orthopedics.
- Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.: earned its top ranking in neonatology.
- Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio: earned its top rankings in gastroenterology/GI surgery and nephrology.
- Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego: earned its top ranking in cardiol/gy/heart surgery.
- Seattle Children’s Hospital, Washington: earned its top ranking in nephrology.
- Texas Children's Hospital, Houston: earned its top rankings in cardiology/heart surgery and nephrology.
