RESERVE — For the second year in a row, U.S. News & World Report included West St. John High School in its Best High School national rankings.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report analyzes data on more than 20,500 public high schools across the country and this year awarded the top 5,948 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 was awarded a bronze medal for 2018. The school also received the distinction in 2017.

“West St. John High School continues to demand more from our students and teachers,” Principal Claude Hill said. “Working alongside the staff as the instructional leader, we strive to be the best in everything we do. West St. John High has graduated some very productive, successful citizens and our goal is to continue the traditions set from past years to raise the bar for the future.”

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 80 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.

Hill said West St. John High School was able to pass all the criteria by following the guiding principles of Respect, Achievement, Motivation and Success (RAMS) to help students achieve their full potential in a small, supportive environment.

Of the more than 20,000 schools analyzed, just 2 percent received gold medals, 11 percent received silver and 16 percent received bronze. The remaining 71 percent received no recognition.