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RALEIGH – Raleigh Charter High School is near the top of another list of best public schools in the country. U.S. News and World Report ranked it 24th and awarded it a gold medal for finishing in the top 100 based on the College Readiness Index. The Early College at Guilford was the state's highest rank school at No. 18.

A total of 50 high schools were recognized by the magazine in this year's ranking. Raleigh Charter High's principal, Dr. Thomas Humble, said their success is based on the freedom they have as a charter school to try innovative ideas.

"We see ourselves as an educational laboratory," he said. "We want to try new ideas here, not only in teaching but in programs."

Humble added that the recognition from national magazines is nice, but it's not something they strive for. Raleigh Charter was ranked 34th in Newsweek magazine.

The 542 students at Raleigh Charter participate in an honors-level curriculum that is enriched by field experiences. The school's mission is to encourage a broad sense of citizenship. Humble said the school undergoes a thorough search process for the highest quality teachers. They also have flexibility in their class schedules to provide opportunities for more in-depth learning. Teachers also design lessons to encourage more student participation.

"It's through that student engagement, I think, that the students begin to be empowered and to take on ownership of what they're learning," Humble said. "I think that then shows in some of the results on a lot of the test, whether they're state or SATs or AP tests."

But Raleigh Charter is just one model. There are also charters based on the arts or exploring the outdoors and nature. Darrell Allison, the president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, said there are also schools that have a majority of economically disadvantaged students.

"We have charter schools operating in the state of North Carolina that deal specifically with children that have been incarcerated, children that have had significant social behavior disorders," he said. "We have a charter school that deals with children that have been molested, that have been victimized."

Charter schools have only existed in North Carolina since the passage of a law in 1996 that created them. Now, they're playing an important role as states put together their application for the federal funding. Charters and other innovative schools account for eight percent of the Race to the Top grant evaluation. The federal government is setting aside $4.35 billion in funding to give to states who qualify and are chosen.

Jack Moyer, the state's director of charter schools, said he feels good about North Carolina's chances. Moyer said students in 82 percent of charter schools are growing academically, and that percentage is up from 65 percent three years ago.

"There were growing pains, but we're working through that, and the bar is being raised and they're getting better and better," he said.

Even Humble, who's been the principal of Raleigh Charter since its inception in 1999, said the school had a few bumps before starting its climb to the top.

"Not everything worked for us very well in the first few years, but being patient and staying with our vision really helped us," he said.