Every year, it makes news. Every year, plenty of high school seniors check it out — as do their parents. I’m talking, of course, about The Princeton Review’s list of top 10 “party schools.”

The list is included in The Princeton Review’s annual guide “The Best 368 Colleges” and was released a few weeks ago. After being included in the list for the past 15 years, but never making it to the top spot, the University of Florida earned the top ranking.

My old school, the University of Iowa, actually placed 12th – just barely out of the top 10 and right behind the University of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire? Cripes. That’s a little embarrassing. C’mon, Hawkeyes! I know you can do better.

Perhaps the oddest school to make the party list was Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. A small liberal arts college with an enrollment of only 1,100, these students must really be overachievers, especially when it comes to keggers, frat parties and Spoli recipes (go easy on the Everclear).

If you want to view the full list, go to http://www.princetonreview.com/college/college-rankings.aspx?uidbadge=%07.

Although the “party school” list makes all the headlines, Princeton Review’s guide actually contains a bunch of pretty interesting rankings, including information about academics, financial aid and demographics.

And its list includes more than just party schools.

For instance, Princeton Review ranks schools based on how liberal or conservative their students are. One school making the Most Conservative list was William Jewell College, close by in Liberty, Mo.

Perhaps the most straightforward ranking is “Happiest Students” and “Least Happy Students.” The Review says Clemson University students are the happiest, while students are miserable at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, N.Y.

Unfortunately, the Merchant Marine Academy is also ranked high on “Don’t Inhale” and “Dorms Like Dungeons” lists.

Another interesting category is The Princeton Review’s “Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians” list. The Review says this ranking is “based on a combination of survey questions concerning political persuasion, the use of marijuana and hallucinogens, the prevalence of religion, the popularity of student government, and the students’ level of acceptance of the gay community on campus.”

In case you’re interested, the top school in this category is Warren Wilson College in Ashland, N.C.

Intrigued, I looked up Warren Wilson on the Internet. Its motto is, “We’re not for everyone … but then, maybe you’re not everyone.” The school actually has an “environmental leadership center” and various majors that deal with the environment, forestry, etc.

I checked out Warren Wilson’s course description for an Organic Chemistry class. A note at the bottom said the class required a lab fee. One can assume each student also will be asked to provide his or her own bong and rolling papers. (Not to worry, though. I’m sure the cafeteria offers a full selection of Doritos, cold pizza and other “munchies.”)

Under athletics, the school posted a story about its Mountain Biking Team finishing second at USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. The Owls are coached by a guy named Art Shuster, whom one team member describes as “a riot” and who uses “mental affirmations and visualization” to fire up his team.

Seriously. I’m not making this up.

In other, less green categories, Washington University in St. Louis was named the top school for “Best Quality of Life” and Loyola College in Maryland ranks No. 1 on the “Dorms Like Palaces” list.

Overall, The Princeton Review is more than just a list of party schools. It does contain some valuable information for prospective students and their parents, and is worth checking out.

Steve Booher’s column runs on Mondays.