Matthew Diebel

USATODAY

Four schools in Arizona placed in the top five spots in U.S. News and World Report’s much-watched rankings of the nation’s high schools.

BASIS Scottsdale topped the list, followed by BASIS Tucson North at No. 2 and BASIS Oro Valley at No. 3. The BASIS schools are a group of charter schools in Arizona and Texas, as well as a branch in Washington, D.C.

High Technology High School in New Jersey is the nation's Best STEM School for the third year in a row.

U.S. News assesses several factors to determine the schools' placements, including enrollment, graduation rates, diversity, participation in free and reduced-price lunch programs, and the results of state assessments and Advanced Placement (AP) exams.

This year, the magazine changed the way it factors AP exams to better reflect schools that are preparing students for college. The measure includes giving more weight to schools where students participate — and pass — a variety of college-level courses and exams.

The magazine awards schools gold, silver and bronze medals, with gold indicating the top level of college readiness. The highest percentage of eligible schools that received gold and silver medals were in Maryland, Florida and California. A state-by-state breakdown can be found here.

2017 Best High Schools National Rankings

BASIS Scottsdale (Ariz.) BASIS Tucson North (Ariz.) BASIS Oro Valley (Ariz.) School for the Talented and Gifted (Texas) BASIS Peoria (Ariz.) Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Va.) BASIS Chandler (Ariz.) Carnegie Vanguard High School (Texas) School of Science and Engineering (Texas) Pacific Collegiate Charter (Calif.)

2017 Best STEM High Schools