It’s funny — there are more than 10,000 high schools across the United States, and yet many of the nation’s top college football stars and current/former NFL greats seem to come from just a few of them. These high schools — affectionately referred to as “football factories” — have a propensity for one reason or another to elevate its student-athletes to the game’s highest levels.

But which football factories are the nation’s best? We ranked the top five on the final day of the current recruiting dead period:

5. DeMatha Catholic High School

Located on the Maryland side of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, DeMatha has served as one of the nation’s premier prep athletics institutions throughout the years. Longtime Philadelphia Eagles star Brian Westbrook is a DeMatha grad, so are current/former Alabama offensive linemen Cyrus and Arie Kouandijo, who will both be in the NFL once Arie is drafted this spring. The Stags have won 22 league championships on the gridiron, including titles to close each of the last two seasons, and they’re regularly ranked among the top 25 programs in the nation. All in all, Arie Kouandijo will be the 16th DeMatha alum to reach the NFL, and dozens more went on to be productive players at the college level.

4. Northwestern High School

Miami, Fla., remains one of the nation’s top high school football hotbeds, and the program at Northwestern High School is the cream of the crop. Stars like Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and 2014 Biletnikoff Award winner Amari Cooper are both Northwestern alums, and Cooper even told SDS at this year’s college football awards media session that the intense atmosphere surrounding high school football on the area is what prepared him for the intense battles he participated in at Alabama. Cooper will be Northwestern’s 19th player to latch onto an NFL roster when he’s selected in April’s NFL Draft, and a number of other productive college stars, like former Miami starting quarterback Jacory Harris, also once called Northwestern home.

3. Dorsey High School

Few schools across the country have produced as much collegiate and NFL talent as Dorsey High School has throughout the last 20 years. The school ranks among the top 10 schools in the nation as far as most NFL alumni from the last two decades, and even more remarkable the school has had an alumnus drafted in five of the last six NFL Drafts, more than any other school in America. Former No. 1 overall draft pick Keyshawn Johnson is a Dorsey alum, as are current NFLers Jonathan Franklin and Rahim Moore. (Side note: Robert Kardashian is also a Dorsey alumnae.)

2. Poly High School

Located in Long Beach, Calif., Poly High School has an illustrious football history riddled with current and former NFL stars. A whopping 60 Poly alums have played or are playing in the NFL, more than any other high school in America. Those players include longtime linebacker Willie McGinest, current standout wide receiver DeSean Jackson and current tight end Marcedes Lewis. Poly’s NFL alums span multiple generations, indicating the program’s dominance on the field and in player development over the long haul. Simply put — there’s never been a school better at producing football stars than Poly, and that mark of excellence as truly stood the test of time.

1. St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas has been one of the nation’s finest prep football programs since the turn of the century, routinely boasting a top 10 ranking while making numerous appearances on ESPN thanks to its gridiron success. The school has boasted more than a few top talents in recent years, and it’s rare that a touted Aquinas prospect ever falls short of expectations. It may not have the sheer number of NFL alums to match some other schools, but nearly every Aquinas prospect turned out to be a star. These stars include NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, Pro Bowler Geno Atkins, and current NFLers like Gio Bernard, Marcus Gilbert, James White and others. Ohio State 2014 All-American Joey Bosa is also an Aquinas product. When MaxPreps named Aquinas the nation’s best athletic program in 2011, it was telling of just how dominant the program has been through the years.