As students head back to class at Iowa's more than 300 high schools, rivalries will soon reignite on the fields and in classrooms. Changes in open enrollment rules in recent years also means parents have more say in where their students attend classes.

To determine which schools rank among the best, U.S. News evaluated more than 24,000 schools nationwide and produced its annual Best Iowa High Schools list .

Schools were ranked mainly on college readiness, state assessment proficiency and state assessment performance. Other factors included underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rate, according to the methodology.

Critics have challenged the rankings in the past, saying they measure affluence more than educational quality of schools.

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