U.S. News & World Report announced today its 2016 Best High Schools rankings. The list analyzes more than 21,500 public high schools to determine the highest performing.

Although U.S. News releases the report annually, this year it did something different by including graduation rates as a “major methodology.”

"To focus on student outcomes, U.S. News has included graduation rates as a major factor in its methodology – the first time graduation rates have been used to evaluate high schools at this scale. The 6,218 high schools to receive national recognition from U.S. News graduate their students at rates that are 15 percent higher, on average, than other schools across the country,” it said.

The School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas took the number one spot, while schools from the BASIS network dominated the top 10.

BASIS Scottsdale, BASIS Tucson North and BASIS Orzo Valley (all in Arizona) received the second, third and sixth spots respectively.

This has been a year full of honors and accolades for the BASIS school network. The Washington Post similarly released its report of the nation’s high schools where it determined the “public elites” and the “most challenging high schools” and placed BASIS schools at the top of the lists.

“I am so proud of our wonderful students and teachers. BASIS.ed managed schools provide our faculty with the opportunity to teach a discipline they love in a culture that cherishes their expertise and passion. Our teachers set high expectations and match that challenge with extraordinary levels of support. The real winners are the BASIS students...across the network: they rise to the challenge, and through hard work they ensure that their opportunities are unbounded,” said BASIS.ed CEO Peter Bezanson in response to the Washington Post rankings.

See the full U.S. News & World rankings here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor