By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Children in the school districts serving Shelby County attend some of the top schools in Alabama, according to a statewide ranking recently released by a national website.

The Niche.com website recently published its 2018 “Best school districts in Alabama” rankings, and multiple local school districts ranked inside the top 25.

“The 2018 Best School Districts ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education,” read the website. “Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and more.”

Hoover City Schools, which serves students in Shelby and Jefferson counties, was the highest ranked local school district, coming in at No. 5 behind Mountain Brook City Schools, Vestavia Hills City Schools, Madison City Schools and Homewood City Schools. HCS operates 18 schools and serves about 14,000 students.

HCS earned an overall grade of A-plus on the site, recording an A for academics, A-plus for teachers, A-plus for clubs and activities, A-minus for diversity, A-plus for college prep and A-plus for health and safety.

Alabaster City Schools, which operates seven schools and serves a little more than 6,000 students, came in at No. 20 on the list.

ACS earned an overall grade of A-minus, and posted grades of B for academics, A-minus for teachers, A-minus for clubs and activities, A for diversity and A for college prep.

Shelby County Schools, which is the largest school system serving Shelby County, came in at No. 23 on the list. The school system includes 36 schools, and serves about 20,000 students.

Shelby County Schools earned an overall grade of B-plus, and earned a grade of B-plus for academics, B for teachers, A-minus for clubs and activities, B for diversity, A-minus for college prep and A-minus for health and safety.

To view the entire list, visit Niche.com/k12/search/best-school-districts/s/alabama/.