U.S. News and World Report ranked Whitman the best public, charter or magnet school in Maryland this year. In the national rankings, released April 22, Whitman placed 61st.

“It’s a nice recognition because it reflects our achievement in various areas,” principal Alan Goodwin said.

Eleven of the 28 high schools in Montgomery County were included in the rankings. Wootton, Poolesville and Richard Montgomery were ranked two, three and four, respectively. In the past two years, Churchill was ranked number one, however, it wasn’t included in the rankings this year.

“The U.S. News list recognizes the work that MCPS is doing to prepare its students for success in college and the workplace,” Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said in a press release. “We must continue to focus on meeting the educational needs of every student so they have the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in their future.”

U.S. News formulates its rankings using three criteria. The first is state-mandated test scores, including math and reading proficiency tests. Ninety-six percent and ninety-seven percent of Whitman students were proficient in algebra and English, respectively. U.S. News doesn’t consider schools that don’t meet these proficiency standards.

For schools that pass the first criterion, U.S. News looks at the proficiency of African American, Hispanic and low-income students. Schools with disadvantaged students who score better than the average for similar students in their state then get evaluated on the third criterion: college readiness, which is determined by AP and IB test scores. Students who score a three or above on their AP exam are considered “college-ready.”

Eighty-three percent of Whitman students earned a “college-ready” score on their AP exams. Whitman has a college readiness index of 85.2 compared to the county average of 56.4.

“There aren’t that many public schools at the top of the rankings that are public schools,” Goodwin said. “It is satisfying to achieve such a high ranking as a public school.”