According to the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report, some of the best public schools in New Jersey are charter schools.

This was first reported by nj.com.

While the top public schools in the state are all magnet schools, which have selective admissions criteria, public charters in New Jersey must accept all applicants. When demand exceeds seats available, students’ names are chosen through a lottery system which in many cases gives extra weight for students from low-income households, English language learners, and students with disabilities.

For example, the top traditional high school in NJ is High Technology High School in Lincroft, part of the Monmouth County vocational school district. Acceptance is based on grade point averages in seventh and eighth grade and specialized exams in math and English language arts. The school notes, “the application and admission process for High Technology High School has become increasingly competitive. Seventy-five students are selected each year from a pool of over three hundred outstanding applicants.”

The top charter school in the state is Central Jersey Prep in Somerset. Admissions is based on a “random lottery.”

Here are the top public charter schools in New Jersey:

1. Central Jersey Prep, Somerset
2. Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School, Somerset
3. Bergen Arts and Sciences Charter School, Garfield
4. College Achieve Central Charter School, Plainfield
5. North Star Academy Charter School, Newark
6. Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, Newark
7. Passaic Arts and Science Charter School, Passaic
8. Paterson Charter School for Science/Technology, Paterson
9. Barack Obama Green Charter School, Plainfield
10. Camden’s Promise Charter School, Camden
11. Paterson Arts and Science Charter School, Paterson
12. University Academy Charter School, Jersey City
13. Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts, Somers Point