One Austin high school is at the head of the class when it comes to the best public high schools.

New rankings from U.S. News & World Report put Austin ISD's Liberal Arts and Science Academy at No. 34 nationally (up from No. 41 last year) among the country's best high schools. LASA ranks as the No. 4 best public high school in Texas, as well as No. 70 nationally among the best STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) high schools.

Topping the national list is Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Arlington, Virginia.

In the Texas rankings, Liberal Arts and Science Academy comes in behind a trio of Dallas ISD schools:

• School for the Talented and Gifted, No. 1 in Texas; No. 8 nationally (up from No. 13 last year); No. 8 nationally among the best STEM high schools; and No. 4 among the best magnet high schools.
• Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, No. 2 in Texas; No. 20 nationally among the best high schools (down from No. 15 last year); and No. 8 nationally among the best magnet high schools.
• Science and Engineering Magnet School, No. 3 in Texas; No. 22 nationally among the best high schools (up from No. 39 last year); No. 7 nationally among the best STEM high schools; and No. 10 nationally among the best magnet high schools.

These are the rest of Texas’ top 10 among the country’s best public high schools:

• No. 40 (up from No. 42 last year), Houston ISD’s Carnegie Vanguard High School.
• No. 48 (up from No. 59 last year), Dallas ISD’s Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet. No. 17 nationally among the best magnet high schools.
• No. 50 (down from No. 46 last year), Houston ISD’s DeBakey High School for Health Professions. No. 43 nationally among the best STEM high schools and No. 18 nationally among the best magnet high schools.
• No. 77 (up from No. 102 last year), BASIS San Antonio - Shavano Campus. No. 25 nationally among the best STEM high schools and No. 17 nationally among the best charter high schools.
• No. 78 (up from No. 108 last year), San Antonio ISD’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy. No. 18 nationally among the best charter high schools.
• No. 102 (down from No. 96 last year), Northside ISD’s Health Careers High School (San Antonio). No. 26 nationally among the best magnet high schools.

Each year, U.S. News evaluates high schools on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rates. In all, more than 17,800 schools were graded.

The rankings “take a comprehensive approach to evaluating schools,” says Eric Brooks, principal data analyst at U.S. News. “Looking at factors like graduation rates and underserved student performance, families can use this information to learn more about their local schools.”