Health.com ranks the nation’s healthiest schools based on food and nutrition, fitness and activity, health education, and healthy building materials and practices.

The average American child spends nearly 12,000 hours in school, from kindergarten through 12th grade. That’s a big chunk of time during which he or she can develop good (or bad) health habits.

Happily, schools today are recognizing the many benefits of a healthy head start — and Health magazine recognized the ones that are doing an A+ job. To find the health stars in America’s vast public school universe, they asked education officials in every state for their nominations; they scored those based on how they measured up to some tough criteria (see How they chose their winners), and the semifinalists were ranked by their panel of experts.

Education officials in every state were asked for school nominations based on food and nutrition, fitness and activity, health education, and healthy building materials and practices. We used rigorous criteria from the state of Wisconsin and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program framework to score nominees. The top-10 schools were reviewed by our expert panel, and each panelist awarded a score to each top-10 school; these scores were added to each school’s first-round score to yield our final ranking.

Congratulations to all of the inspiring winners!

1. West Babylon Senior High

West Babylon, New York

1,510 students in grades 9 through 12

What can you say about a high school where the assistant principal strolls the cafeteria with a basket of fruit?

Top honors go to this outstanding school, which scored high across the board in every category — from nutrition to employee wellness. At West Babylon, all soda machines have been removed, so the only drinks available are water, milk, and fruit juice; the revamped cafeteria features a menu that emphasizes healthy choices, like wraps and yogurt, and has replaced fryers with state-of-the-art ovens; and participants in after-school activities are encouraged to stay on campus for healthy snacks and light meals in the cafeteria.

A districtwide commitment to fitness is paying big dividends, too: The student obesity rate dropped 2 percent in just one school year — and continues to decline. And West Babylon is particularly proud of its new physical education curriculum that focuses on overall wellness, social skills, and lifetime and adventure activities. This initiative appeals to even the least-athletic students and received praise from fitness judges Jennifer Caputo and Harley Pasternak.

“This approach shows how students of all skill and ability levels can be exposed to and benefit from being physically active,” Caputo says.

But perhaps the ultimate winning aspect of West Babylon is the commitment of its students, who drive the School Wellness Council and conduct only healthy fund-raisers. No more candy sales! Instead, kids sell baby carrots, sugar-free gelatin, raisins, and nuts.

See the rest at Health Magazine.