By Derrick ForsytheRecord Staff WriterContinued progress by its students on the state assessment tests has earned the Wright City R-II School District another prestigious honor.Wright City recently was named one of the top 182 high schools in the state of Missouri by the U.S. News and World Report rankings.This came as a result of dramatic improvement over the past five years, taking Wright City from among the bottom percentile into an elite class of educational institutions.“It’s amazing what a collective focus on student engagement and rigor can do,” said Superintendent David Buck. “Our students and staff deserve this and any upcoming accolades.”Three Missouri schools were awarded gold medals, with Lincoln College Prep of Kansas City earning top honors. Twenty-two schools claimed silver medals, while Wright City was among 157 to earn a bronze medal.“We have seen some of the most historic academic improvement throughout the state,” said High School Principal Shawn Brown. “This award showcases the hard work of both teachers and students to achieve the best results.”To put the achievement into perspective, there are 533 high schools in Missouri representing 460 school districts. That lands Wright City among the 66th percentile.The figures for the rankings were generated from 2013 results, and Wright City has since risen into the 75th percentile, with continued improvement on its 2014 test scores.“Since 2010, the school has worked within our PAWS district-wide improvement plan to ensure academic success for all of our students,” added Brown.He says the plan has focused on training teachers to create more rigorous lessons and assessments to challenge students to become more adept at critical thinking.The schools were assessed on college readiness, mathematics and English.“In 2011, we were ahead of only 20 percent of high schools in the state,” said Buck. “The exciting news is we continue to improve. We received great results in 2015 and are waiting to see other high schools’ scores.”Best High Schools