Newsweek magazine has again named Oak Mountain High School and Spain Park High School among the nation’s top high schools.

The schools are very close in the rankings, with Oak Mountain at No. 935 and Spain Park at No. 984. Both schools have made the list three years running.

Oak Mountain Assistant Principal Amy Fineburg said she felt the award is an affirmation of the hard work by students, faculty and staff.

“I think it just confirms the dedications of our teachers and students to achieve excellence,” she said. “I think we’re just proud to see our students and teachers get the recognition they deserve.”

Fineburg said while making the Newsweek list isn’t a goal for the Oak Mountain community, gaining that honor is a byproduct of the school achieving its other goals, such as improving the Advanced Placement program.

“We thrive to make sure students challenge themselves and work towards the highest goals,” she said. “We certainly have a goal to make sure we’re doing everything we can so that our students achieve to the highest potential.”

Jason Gason, a spokesperson for Hoover City Schools, said the school system is committed to improving year after year.

“We are most pleased that Newsweek has ranked Spain Park High School among the nation’s best schools,” Gaston said. “We are proud of all of our schools and are committed to continuing quality education across the district.”

Oak Mountain and Spain Park are two of the nine schools from Alabama to make the list. The other schools are Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School at No. 2, Auburn High School at No. 354, Mountain Brook High School at No. 376, Homewood High School at No. 549, Bob Jones High School at No. 808, Grissom High School at No. 1181 and the Alabama School of Math and Science at No. 1579.

The Newsweek list includes more than 1,600 high schools, or 6 percent of public high schools in the United States.