Nationally ranked in eight pediatric specialties, #2 Children’s Hospital in North Carolina
Chapel Hill, N.C. – UNC Children’s in Chapel Hill, N.C. has been ranked among the nation’s top children’s hospitals for the 17th straight year as rated by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” report. UNC Children’s is nationally ranked in eight out of 11 pediatric specialties for 2025 – 2026.
Hospital specialties must be graded among the top 50 hospitals in the U.S. to be considered “nationally ranked.” Locally, UNC Children’s was ranked as the #2 children’s hospital in North Carolina and #4 in the Southeast region. UNC Children’s Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery was ranked #31 nationally, making it #1 in North Carolina for the first time.
UNC Children’s is rated among the nation’s best children’s hospitals for pediatric & adolescent behavioral health for the second year in row.
UNC Children’s pediatric specialties nationally ranked by US News for 2025 – 2026 include:
|
Pediatric & Adolescent |
Top 50
No ordinal rankings assigned |
|
Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery |
#19 |
|
Pediatric Urology |
#27 |
|
Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology |
#30 |
|
Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery |
#31 |
|
Neonatology |
#33 |
|
Pediatric Nephrology |
#35 |
|
Pediatric Orthopedics |
#46
|
In the 2025-2026, U.S. News & World Report rankings, only 86 hospitals across the nation achieved recognition as being among the best in at least one pediatric medical specialty. This year’s rankings were created from data collected through a clinical survey sent to children’s hospitals and a survey sent to thousands of pediatric doctors nationwide.
“We are honored to bring our physicians’ expertise to the care of North Carolina’s youngest patients,“ said Stephanie Duggins Davis, MD, Physician-in-Chief for UNC Children’s. “In addition to outstanding care, the empathy our team shows for our patients and their families is nothing short of remarkable.”
Earlier this year, UNC Health and Duke Health announced plans to create “NC Children’s,” the first freestanding children’s hospital in North Carolina by the early 2030s.
“We are incredibly proud that Duke Children’s and UNC Children’s rank as the #1 and #2 children’s hospitals in North Carolina,” said Dr. Wesley Burks, Chair of the North Carolina Children’s Board of Directors. “These rankings also reinforce the tremendous opportunity in front of us – the top 10 children’s hospitals in US News’ national rankings are all dedicated children’s hospitals, exactly like what we are building with NC Children’s.”
“We have a great foundation to build upon, and our goal is for NC Children’s to improve the health and wellness of our children and be recognized among the top 10 nationally for world-class care, research and experience,” said Dr. Burks.
About UNC Children’s
As a top-tier academic medical center, UNC Children’s upholds a mission to promote the health of all children in an inclusive, equitable culture through compassionate, family-centered care, tireless advocacy, scientific discovery, and education of future leaders.
Our nearly 350 physicians and providers are clinical and research faculty of the UNC School of Medicine, their medical expertise spanning nearly 50 programs in the School of Medicine’s 20 clinical departments, including 15 divisions in the UNC Department of Pediatrics. They are joined by more than 1,800 clinical staff, all dedicated to providing exemplary, compassionate care to the thousands of children we treat each year.