Whitefish High School recently was ranked fifth in a list of Montana’s top 12 high schools in the state, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Best High Schools.

Polson High School made the list at No. 11.

Thirty-six of 118 Montana high schools evaluated made the report’s national rankings and were awarded either a gold, bronze, or silver medal. Whitefish received a silver medal, coming in at No. 2,545 among 5,948 high schools around the country. Polson was awarded a bronze medal.

Factored into the rankings were overall student performance on state proficiency tests; schools that performed at, or better than, the state average for disadvantaged student populations; graduation rates and college readiness.

The top four schools in the state included, in order, Gardiner High School, Bozeman High School, Sentinel High School and Helena High School.