Four high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District were honored with distinctions from the annual U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools Rankings.

Earning Silver Medals are West Ranch, Hart and Golden Valley High Schools, with Academy of the Canyons awarded a bronze medal. More than 22,000 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia were compared using various metrics including how the schools performed on state assessment tests and how well they prepare students for college.

“These rankings are higher than they were last year, with more of our schools being recognized nationally,” said Vicki Engbrecht, Superintendent of the Hart School District. “It is once again a great testament to the unwavering professionalism of our teachers and administrators to provide our students the very best education they can have.”

West Ranch was scored the highest in the Hart School District, ranking 149 in California and 878 nationally. The ranking noted West Ranch’s AP participation rate at 59 percent, graduation rate of 99 percent and a score of 46.3 on college readiness. Hart is ranked 193 in California, 1,149 nationally, with Golden Valley ranked 347 in California, 1,784 nationally.

By virtue of being a middle college high school, Academy of the Canyons does not offer AP classes but instead their students take college classes concurrently with their high school coursework. Every student in the Hart School District has the opportunity to take concurrent classes at College of the Canyons.

According to US News & World Report, four steps were used to determine the awards: students perform better than expected in their state; disadvantaged students perform better than state average; student graduation rates meet or exceed a national standard; students are prepared for college-level work.