New Jersey has five of the country's 100 best public high schools, according to annual rankings conducted by U.S. News and World report.

The rankings are determined by a school's performance on state tests and Advanced Placement exams, its graduation rate and other factors (read the full methodology here).

High Technology High School, a vocational-technical school in Monmouth County, ranked as the top high school in New Jersey and the 11th-best high school nationwide. The school emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Biotechnology High School, also in Monmouth County, ranked 13th in the overall rankings. In total, 10 New Jersey high schools made the top 200 in the rankings, which considered about 20,000 schools.

The list of top high schools is regularly dominated by magnet schools, elite vocational schools and special academies, all of which have selective enrollment.

Princeton High School was ranked as New Jersey's top open-admissions high school. Overall, Princeton ranked 10th in the state and 192nd in the country.

North Star Academy Charter School in Newark was New Jersey's highest-rated charter school (17th in New Jersey, 319th nationally).

Along with the individual school rankings, U.S. News also ranks states based on the performance of its high schools. New Jersey ranked 15th overall, down two spots from the previous rankings.

Maryland earned the top spot in the state rankings, and the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas claimed first place in the nationwide school rankings for the fifth year in a row.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.