Wawasee High School received recognition from a well known national magazine and it’s the kind administrators can point to with pride. U.S. News & World Report’s latest “America’s Best High Schools” rankings gave Wawasee a silver medal.

Wawasee was one of only 41 schools statewide to receive a silver medal, was ranked 37th in the state by U.S. News and World Report and 1,930th nationally. To determine the rankings, U.S. News and World Report teams up with Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research, a behavioral and social science research organization. First it is determined whether the students in each school performed better than statistically expected for the average student in the state.

Reading and math results on state tests were analyzed and then the percentage of economically disadvantaged students was factored. For schools making it past this step, analysts looked at whether the school’s most disadvantaged students — black, Hispanic and low income — were performing better than average for similar students in the state. Schools passing this part of the test had their test data for advanced placement and-or international baccalaureate programs analyzed.

According to the statistics found on the U.S. News & World Report website, of Wawasee’s total enrollment of 945 students, 12 percent are minorities and 37 percent considered economically disadvantaged. Seventy-seven percent are proficient in English testing results and 98 percent proficient in algebra.

“It is an honor to receive a silver medal ranking for Wawasee High School,” said Mike Schmidt, principal of the school. “Our teachers and staff work very hard to promote our 90-25-90 school goal to incorporate all students. We have challenged our students to achieve at a high level. We have talked with them about their future story and utilizing their high school experiences to reach those goals.

“We have placed a major emphasis (as you will find on our website) on this vision: Every capable student will graduate from Wawasee High School with college credits or a professional certification. We have made a lot of changes in a short period of time to create opportunities for students so they are successful in college or in the work world.”