Three Bellevue high schools have been rated among America’s Best High Schools by U.S. News Media Group.

The district’s International School, Bellevue High School, Newport High School and Interlake High School were among 1,900 schools recognized by School Evaluation Services. The International School, Bellevue and Newport were ranked in the top 100 schools nationally. Interlake was awarded a silver medal in the survey.

In all, 21,000 schools were surveyed.

This year’s ranking criteria include increased measures of college readiness, evaluators said, and the 2009 list demonstrated an 11-percent increase in the number of top-performing schools (Gold and Silver medal).

Officials with the rating service said the increase shows that a greater number of schools are providing students with access to college-level coursework and that these same students are demonstrating mastery of the coursework, which will benefit their work towards higher education.

“In just its second year, America’s Best High Schools has proven to be a trusted source for educators, students, and especially parents making important decisions about their children’s educational future,” said Brian Kelly, editor U.S. News & World Report. “Not only do our rankings highlight schools succeeding at the highest national level, but the Best High School package also allows communities and states to compare schools at a local level and measure why some are doing so well. This is the most comprehensive and inclusive information on hundreds of high schools nationwide.”

Thirteen schools in King County were rated among the 1,900 best.

Since the release of the 2008 high school rankings, U.S. News and School Evaluation Services have developed the methodology to include the International Baccalaureate program as a measure of college readiness. In addition, an honorable mention distinction has been added to recognize schools that were able to achieve high levels of college readiness, but only partially met state test performance criteria.

A high school is recognized as a top school if it:

– Attains performance levels that exceed statistical expectations given the school’s student body, as measured by state accountability test scores for all the school’s students in the core subjects of reading and math;

– Achieves proficiency rates on state tests for their least advantaged student groups that exceed state averages; and

– Prepares its students for college, as measured by student participation in and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.

The 100 top-performing high schools were given a distinction of “Gold” and are listed numerically. The remaining 504 schools meeting all three criteria have been designated “Silver” high schools.

Additionally, 1,321 high schools were identified as “Bronze” schools for their performance on state tests.

These Bronze high schools met the first two criteria of this methodology but did not meet the college-readiness criteria based on AP or IB exams.

For a complete list of America’s Best High Schools, visit www.usnews.com/highschools. To learn more about a specific school or to compare schools side-by-side, visit www.schoolmatters.com.