The Ministry of Education said Wednesday in a statement that it has never published any lists of high school rankings in China, saying the so-called Top 100 Chinese high schools list, which is popular on the Internet, is false information.

The statement, which was published on the ministry's official website, said it is not good for the development of basic education if only 100 high schools were ranked, out of the total 13,000 around the country.

"A high school should focus on the development of itself and educating students, rather than participating in such polls and rankings. The public should also be alert about these kinds of information to avoid being misled," said the statement.

The so-called Top 100 Chinese high schools list is popular on the Internet, especially on micro blogs, in China. It was claimed to be an official ranking made by the Ministry of Education. In the list, each school was given a score, but it did not explain the methodology of the rankings.

Rankings of universities and colleges are very popular in China, and there are various versions of them. Many students and parents take the rankings as reference when deciding which college to apply for in the College Entrance Examination.