Seven out of eight public schools in Hartland rated higher than 80 percent of the rest of the state, according to the latest "Top-to-Bottom” rankings the Michigan Department of Education released Friday.

Four Hartland schools either were at or topped the 90 percentile rank with Farms Intermediate School highest at 95 percent. Round, Lakes and Village elementary schools were the others. (See lists below for the full results).

Hartland Middle School at Ore Creek was the lowest of area schools with a 67 percentile rank. Hartland LEGACY, an alternative high school, was not ranked.

School officials in Hartland were not immediately available for comment Friday about the rankings.

Thirty schools from across the state including from Novi, Grand Blanc and Ann Arbor, received the highest 99 percentile ranking.

More than 3,000 schools in the state were rated using stats based on student proficiency, achievement, academic growth and achievement gap in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies, a news release said. It also incorporates graduation rate for high school buildings, the release said.

It's the second year for the rankings. Information on last year's rankings was not immediately available but state officials say the methodology was changed to make them more accurate and account for complexities among schools and districts.

The rankings were released along with a list of 98 Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) schools, which have to submit and implement plans to the state. No Livingston County schools were on the list.

“This is important information for schools, parents, and communities to review,” said Mike Flanagan, state superintendent of public instruction. “It provides a real look at how our local schools are doing in educating their students.

“Some schools are doing well at preparing students. Too many others still are struggling. But we all can improve,” Flanagan added. “In order for Michigan to succeed in this competitive global economy, our schools need to step up their efforts — some, in a big way. I encourage communities to have honest discussions with their school leaders to embrace and support the changes needed to move forward.”

In Livingston County, Farms ranked in a tie for third among all schools and first among middle schools while Round, Lakes and Village elementary schools were in the top 10, according to a Hartland Patch analysis of rankings. Spencer Road Elementary School was No. 1 among its peers and second highest in the county while Hilton Road Elementary was tied with Farms at 95 percent.

Hartland High School ranked 17 in the county but was second among high schools while Hartland Middle School was 26th and fifth among middle schools (third if intermediate schools aren't counted). Brighton had both the top high school in the county, according to the rankings.

The highest ranking school in the county was the Pathway School, which is run by the area's intermediate school district, the Livingston Educational Service Agency (LESA).

The school — which received a 98 percentile rank — serves the area's severely disabled and LESA officials are checking on the data used to find out if the placement is accurate.

To learn more and crunch your own data, click here.