EDGARD — U.S. News & World Report awarded West St. John High School a bronze medal in its 2017 Best High School rankings.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report analyzes data on more than 22,000 public high schools across the country and this year awarded the top 6,041 with gold, silver or bronze medals. Schools are ranked based on their performance on state-required tests and how well they prepare students for college.

West St. John High School Principal Claude Hill said it is an honor when his school’s students and teachers are recognized for their academic performances, adding national acknowledgement provides more credibility to the local achievements.

“We continue to push our students and teachers every day,” Hill said. “Our students, staff and community are proud of what we do and accomplish. I am elated to be part of such a rich, dynamic environment.”

Hill attributed the school’s success to striving to help students achieve their academic goals in a small, yet productive, environment and supporting them in order for them to reach their full potential while in high school.

He said the guiding principles for all students are respect, achievement, motivation and success (RAMS) and the staff works toward those principles daily.

“We strive to maintain a positive school culture and fulfill the beliefs and dreams of our students,” Hill said.

For the rankings, U.S. News first looked at student performance on state-required tests, on which schools had to perform better than statistically expected in their state to move on to the next step.

Schools were then evaluated on whether their least-advantaged students performed at or better than state average.

The third step required schools to have a graduation rate of at least 75 percent. Those that did made it to the final step, during which U.S. News analyzed how well schools prepared students for college based on participation in and performance on Advanced Placement exams.

Just 30 percent of schools analyzed received a medal.