Now known as LASA High School by the Austin Independent School District and the Texas Education Agency, the Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin is a selective public magnet high school for students interested in liberal arts, science, and/or mathematics. It admits select high school students from across AISD. Prospective students apply to the school before an annual January deadline, and admission decisions are based on multiple criteria including grades, standardized test scores, essays, teacher recommendations, extracurricular activities, awards earned, and an admissions exam administered by LASA, currently the Cognitive Abilities Test also known as the CogAT. Because LASA is the only co-educational high school academic magnet program in AISD, competition for admission can be strong. 35 out of the 203 students in the LASA Class of 2011 (17.2%) were National Merit Scholars. In 2014, Newsweek ranked LASA #8 among the nation's best high schools, and ranked the school #38 nationally in 2012. The Washington Post ranked LASA #30 in the nation in 2011. In 2013 U.S. News and World Report ranked LASA #1 in the state of Texas and #28 nationally.