Eight CHoR specialties earned 2025-26 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings from U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report has named Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU among the best hospitals in the nation for pediatric medical care. The publication’s 2025-26 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings were released this morning, with CHoR landing among the top 50 hospitals in eight of the 11 ranked subspecialties.
CHoR’s rankings this year include nephrology (#28), pulmonology & lung surgery (#36), urology (#36), cancer (#39), neurology & neurosurgery (#40), neonatology (#43), diabetes & endocrinology (#45) and gastroenterology (#50). CHoR is also rated one of the top 10 children’s hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes seven states and the District of Columbia.
“Rankings are tied to the safety, outcomes and experiences in the care provided by our talented teams. These rankings reflect the very high level of comprehensive care that Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU provides to children and their families,” said VCU President Michael Rao. “Providing the best care coupled with research that leads to new treatments, stronger outcomes and saving more lives, CHoR is a national leader in pediatric health. Our congratulations and heartfelt thanks go to everyone on our CHoR team who makes excellent care of our youngest patients and their families possible.”
Coordinated care for children with complex medical conditions
Emma Horton’s battle with medulloblastoma, a form of brain cancer, required coordination between oncology and neurosurgery specialists at CHoR. The 10-year-old’s care also included emergency room visits, stays in the pediatric intensive care unit, and physical and occupational therapy sessions – all provided under the umbrella of the comprehensive children’s hospital.
“The CHoR team has been incredible," said Emma’s stepmom, Lauren. “They have been with us through every surgery, treatment and follow-up appointment. They’ve celebrated Emma’s progress and supported us through the hard days. We have never felt alone in this journey.”
This is the hospital’s 11th time ranking in nephrology, a program that cares for patients with conditions ranging from kidney infections and kidney stones to kidney failure and rare organ abnormalities. Services span lifesaving transplants to ongoing monitoring. Other services, such as oncology and neurosurgery which helped Emma, have ranked multiple times.
The meaning behind the U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals rankings
The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are designed to help parents, caregivers and medical professionals identify hospitals that provide the best possible specialized care for children with serious illnesses or complex medical needs.
“Earning eight U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings is undoubtedly an honor and testament to our team’s expertise and capabilities. More than that, it confirms our commitment to Emma and thousands of other kids and families, including those from 47 states who turned to us for care just last year,” said Elias Neujahr, MHA, MBA, CHoR president. “As we continue to grow our clinical care, research, teams and footprint, we do so with these families at the forefront. When they’re facing their most challenging times, our teams are here to provide compassionate and holistic care that’s among the very best in the country.”
U.S. News, together with RTI International, a North Carolina-based research firm, determined this year’s results through analysis of data from 118 children’s hospitals, along with surveys of thousands of pediatric specialists from across the country. Children’s hospitals awarded a “best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care, and expert opinion among pediatric specialists.
“These rankings are driven by the quality and safety of the care provided to children,” said Matthew Schefft, DO, associate chief quality and safety officer at CHoR. “The data reflects that when families seek care at CHoR, they receive the safe, high quality, coordinated care they expect and deserve. It’s a promise we make and stand by every day.”
"Behind these eight service lines are teams made up of skilled and dedicated experts with a passion for providing exceptional care for children and families," said Karen Hendricks-Muñoz, MD, interim physician-in-chief for CHoR. "Many factors go into determining the Best Children's Hospitals rankings, but they are all rooted in the people, and we have the finest here at CHoR."
This care, and its continued growth, are generously supported by the community through Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Collaborating with other nationally ranked children’s hospitals
CHoR and UVA Health Children's partner to ensure families in Virginia have convenient access to the best congenital heart surgery. Through this collaboration, UVA Health Children’s – nationally ranked in cardiology and heart surgery – and CHoR are able to provide expert congenital heart care to more families across Central VA.