Who knew? Butler County Community College is the best community college in Pennsylvania.

That's according to a recent ranking by Schools.com, which based its rankings on seven criteria — total cost of attendance, number of transfer agreements with other Pennsylvania institutions, student-to-faculty ratio, percentage of students enrolled in distance education, average student retention rate, graduation rate and flexility, which measures the availability of evening and weekend classes and on-campus day care options.

The report lauded BC3's affordable tuition as well as a state-leading rate of transfers to other institutions of learning, according to data from the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center (PA TRAC) network — a transfer information resource that lists information about the 14 official two-year public institutions in Pennsylvania.

That first-place transfer rate wasn't the only figure in BC3's favor. Schools.com reports that BC3 also produced a higher percentage of graduates with completed degrees or certificates than all other schools but one, and its total cost of attendance came in well below average to rank third overall.

The study lauded BC3 for comfortable class sizes: The average class size at BC3 in 2015 was 18 students, which can allow for faculty to give students individual and small group attention when necessary.

What might get overlooked in the good news are the people whose hard work and clear vision made it happen. BC3 is blessed with a solid board of trustees and administration, good communications, hard-working faculty and motivated students.

The ranking by a national research company is gratifying. It spreads the word about the high quality of our hometown educational resource.

But the fact is we knew all along what a great school we have in Butler County Community College.