Decorah High School is the highest-ranking IOWA school in a national publication’s list of the nation’s “gold, silver and bronze medal” schools. U-S News and World Report evaluated test scores and graduate rates from the nation’s 28-thousand high schools. Decorah ranked first in Iowa and 847th on the national list. The other top ten high schools WITHIN IOWA were Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Linn-Mar, Ames, West Liberty, Cedar Rapids Washington, West Des Moines Valley, Waukee, Cedar Falls and Ankeny Centennial. Locally, Shenandoah cracked the Top 25, coming in at 24th.

Other area schools recognized in the National Rankings and having earned a bronze medal include:

• The Audubon Middle-High School
• Bedford High School
• CAM High School
• Carroll High School
• Denison High School
• Essex Junior-Senior High School
• Griswold Middle/High School
• Guthrie Center
• Harlan
• Lenox
• Mt. Ayr
• Red Oak,
• Riverside
• Shenandoah
• Sidney
• Tri-Center
• Underwood.

Schools are ranked based on their performance on state-required tests and how well they prepare students for college.For more go to: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/iowa

(Radio Iowa)