ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The U.S. News & World Report's 2018 ranking of best high schools in the country is out, and according to the publication, the highest-ranked school in Essex County is located in Newark.

The 2018 best high school rankings were released on Wednesday and evaluate over 20,500 public high schools. U.S. News identified schools that best serve all students and assessed how prepared students are for college-level work. "Top-ranked schools succeed in three main areas: exceeding expectations on state proficiency tests, offering challenging coursework and graduating their students," Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a press release.

See related article: NJ Has 103 Of America's Best High Schools In 2018, US News Says For 2018, the top-ranking school in Essex County was North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, which placed #13 in New Jersey and #346 in the nation. The school serves 3,989 students in K-12 and has a 14-to-1 student to teacher ratio. According to U.S. News:

"North Star Academy Charter School of Newark is ranked 13th within New Jersey. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement course work and exams. The AP participation rate at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark is 86 percent. The student body makeup is 46 percent male and 54 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 100 percent." Other schools in Essex County to place in the top 100 in New Jersey include: #13 - Millburn High School, Millburn Township Schools

#23 - Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge Public Schools

#33 - West Caldwell Tech, Essex County Vocational Technical Schools

#44 - Montclair High School, Montclair Public Schools

#56 - Science Park High School, Newark Public Schools

#59 – Bloomfield Tech, Essex County Vocational Technical Schools

#60 – East Orange STEM Academy High School, East Orange Public Schools

#67 - American History High School, Newark Public Schools

#69 – Arts High School, Newark Public Schools

#71 - Bard Early College High School, Newark Public Schools

#76 - Cicely L. Tyson Community Middle/High School, East Orange Public Schools

#94 - Newark Tech, Essex County Vocational Technical Schools

#95 - North 13th St Tech, Essex County Vocational Technical Schools

#100 - Technology High School, Newark Public Schools Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com