RICHMOND—Middle College High School (MCHS), West Contra Costa Unified School District’s early college program, was ranked among the top high schools in the nation for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, the news magazine announced today.

Located on the Contra Costa College campus in San Pablo, MCHS has been awarded a bronze medal in the news magazine’s annual ranking of the nation’s best high schools. The school was not ranked higher because students take college classes instead of the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate examinations, which are used by the magazine to determine a school’s “College Readiness Index,” a key metric in the rankings. Instead, MCHS students can graduate from high school with an associate’s degree or enough units to transfer to a 4-year university as a junior.

“The hard work our students are willing to take on in order to be successful in both their high school and college courses is an amazing testament to their desire to succeed and their love of learning,” Principal Anne Shin said. “This distinction would not have been possible without our partners at Contra Costa College and the guidance and support our teachers give their students every single day of the year.”

MCHS serves about 285 students in grades 9-12. In order to attend, students must fill out an application and be accepted by a panel of college instructors and high school teachers. The application period for the 2016-17 school year will open in January.