Which high schools are among the nation’s best? Three in area make ranking’s top 500.

Three Charlotte-area high schools are among the country’s top 500, according to the 2020 U.S. News and World report rankings.

Cato College Middle High, in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, topped the regional ranks at 217, while Lake Norman Charter in Huntersville and Highland School of Technology in Gaston County rounded out the area schools that made the cut.

The rankings, released Tuesday, are compiled by the publication every year and factor in measures such as college readiness, college curriculum breadth, reading and math proficiency and the school’s graduation rate.

Schools are also judged based on how well they students from underserved backgrounds, defined by the rankings as black, Hispanic and low-income students, perform relative to their peers.

The ratings looked at more than 24,000 high schools in the country, with approximately 17,790 schools eligible for rankings. In North Carolina, the Early College at Guilford, topped the rankings by coming in 31st nationally.

Private schools are not included in the publication’s rankings, as many do not participate in statewide standardized testing.

Four CMS schools were ranked among the top 500 magnet schools, which are run by school districts and take students by application, often offering specialized academic themes. Northwest School of the Arts, South Mecklenburg High, Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology and East Mecklenburg High made the cut.

See where your school ranked here: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/rankings-overview

This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 9:48 AM.