Once again, Guilford County high schools are recognized nationally for excellence. Today, U.S. News and World Report came out with the 2015 Best High School Rankings. Three GCS schools ranked top 10 in the state and earned national gold medal status.

The Early College at Guilford ranked second in the state and 40th best high school in the country. The school was also named seventh best high school in the nation for STEM education. Weaver Academy is ranked as the fourth best high school in North Carolina and 100th in the nation. Penn-Griffin School for the Arts ranked eighth in the state, 240th in the nation and 46th best magnet school in the country.

“The Early College at Guilford seeks with each new day, per our mission statement, to provide exceptionally challenging opportunities for learning which support superior academic development,” says Interim Principal Joanne Chesley. “We encourage our students to be multi-dimensional in their leadership, to be socially competent and to utilize creativity; all in an effort to succeed in higher education and in our ever-changing world.”

U.S. News ranks schools on overall student performance on state-required tests, how effectively schools educate their least-advantaged students and how well the schools prepare students for college, based on participation and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.

Seven other GCS schools, including Middle College at Bennett, Middle College at GTCC-Greensboro, Middle College at GTCC-High Point, Middle College at GTCC-Jamestown, Middle College at UNCG, The Academy at High Point Central and The Academy at Smith were also nationally recognized by the report.

These rankings come just weeks after 15 GCC high schools earned national recognition by making the Washington Posts’ list of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools.”

To view the complete list of 2015 Best High Schools by U.S. News and World Report, click here.