An elite Virginia high school that consistently ranked as America's top public high school has slipped in the national rankings this year amid a legal battle over its admissions procedures.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, had ranked at the top of U.S. News & World Report rankings for public high schools for each of the last three years. But in the 2023-2024 edition, the school slipped to fifth on the list.

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Taking over the top spot on the list was the Early College at Guilford in Greensboro, North Carolina, while the Signature School in Evansville, Indiana, and the School for Advanced Studies in Miami rounded out the top three. The Davidson Academy of Nevada in Reno, Nevada, ranked fourth.

“Having access to a strong high school program is paramount for students as they face an ever-changing world,” Liana Loewus, the managing editor of education at U.S. News & World Report, said in a press release. “Making data on our high schools available helps parents ensure their child is in the educational environment that best sets them up to thrive.”

The slide in the rankings for Thomas Jefferson High School comes amid a continuing legal battle over its admissions practices.

In 2020, Fairfax County's school board voted to overhaul the admissions process to eliminate some testing requirements and implement a lottery system in a bid to increase the number of black and Hispanic students attending the school.

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But the changes resulted in a substantially lower level of Asian students being admitted to the school, and a lawsuit was filed alleging the school was illegally discriminating against Asian students. Last week, the group suing the Fairfax County School Board filed a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court that asked the court to overturn an appellate court ruling that sided with the school district.

The Washington Examiner has reached out to Fairfax County Public Schools for comment.