Issaquah, Skyline & Eastlake Ranked in US News & World 'Best High Schools'

Issaquah High School is rated No. 17 in the state and No. 836 in the nation based on state proficiency standards, how well it prepares students for college and other factors, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2013 Best High Schools rankings, released early Tuesday.

Issaquah was awarded a "silver" medal along with two other local high schools in the state recognized in the rankings: Sammamish's Eastlake, ranked 28th and Skyline, ranked 41st.

Three high schools in the Bellevue School District were ranked in the top five in the state, with the International School leading the list.

For its rankings, U.S. News collected data on more than 21,000 public high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia. (Nebraska did not report enough data to be included in the rankings.) From its release:

U.S. News joined forces with the American Institutes for Research, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, to evaluate schools on overall student performance on state-mandated assessments, as well as how effectively schools educated their black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. Performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams was then used to determine the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.

Schools were ranked within each state, as well as on a national stage, so families can see how their public high school stacked up against rivals within the community and across the country. In the national rankings, 500 schools earned gold medals, 1,790 were awarded silver and 2,515 took home bronze.

The top five high schools in Washington state, along with their national rankings, are:

See the full 2013 U.S. News Best High School rankings here.

What does your child’s high school do the best? What could it work on? Tell us in the comments.