Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts has been named among the nation’s top 100 public high schools.

The school ranked #84 in a list recently released by TheDailyBeast.com, according to a FWAFA press release. About a dozen Texas schools made the top 100, and FWAFA was the only Fort Worth school among them.

 The school was also rated among the top 5 percent of public schools in the nation and received a Silver Medal in U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools ranking, according to the release. That selection was made using 2011-2012 school year data from more than 19,400 U.S. public schools. In addition, FWAFA is one of only five Fort Worth schools chosen by the Texas Education Agency as a Reward School for high performance.

“We are honored to be included among so many well-known and respected schools,” FWAFA’s Executive Director Clint Riley said in the release. “What makes our school stand out to me is that admission to FWAFA is based solely on artistic merit. Yet year after year, our students prove they are also very high achievers academically. Their consistently strong performance in the classroom speaks highly of our rigorous academic program, committed staff and motivated students. And it shows that students do thrive when arts are incorporated in schools.”

TheDailyBeast.com ranking was based upon FWAFA’s  100 percent  graduation rate and 98 percent college bound rate along with nearly 75 percent of students enrolled in AP courses as well as the school’s SAT and ACT test score averages, according to the release.

FWAFA opened as a public charter school in 2001. According to the press release, enrollment is by audition and more than 500 students enrolled this year to receive training in visual arts, dance, music, and theater.