It's an honor usually reserved for schools, hospitals and doctors – the best of U.S. News & World Report rankings.

In a new study called "America's Best Nursing Homes" a home in Wilton was ranked and featured in the prestigious magazine issue. 

Lourdes Health Care Center beat out some 15,500 nursing homes across the country to be featured in the February issue.  The center received an even higher recognition of being put on the "honor roll," joining only ten other nursing homes in the country.

Last year, for the first time ever, those with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reviewed data for nursing homes across the country. The homes were given one to five stars in each of three areas: health inspection, nurse staffing and measures of care. The 173 homes featured in the magazine were the only ones that received an overall rating of five stars. Lourdes was put on the honor roll because it received a perfect five-star rating for four straight quarters.

Diane Gucciardo, administrator of Lourdes Health Care Center, said everyone is taking a lot of pride in the ranking but they're not surprised.

"It's nothing we strived for," Gucciardo said. "We just do our best everyday for our residents."

Situated on Belden Hill Road just off Route 106, Lourdes serves only vowed religious women. Currently about 40 nuns reside there.  Each sister can pretty much have her own caretaker, as more than 60 people work on the staff.  Gucciardo said there's a very low rate of staff turnover.

The facility is sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Gucciardo said it's thanks to the generosity of the sisters who pay money out of their own pocket that Lourdes is such a high-quality facility.

"It's sad that not all nursing homes can be like this," Gucciardo said.

According to the rankings, Lourdes was not cited for a health or fire inspection deficiency. On average across Connecticut nursing homes have been cited for 11 health inspection deficiencies and three fire deficiencies, according to the magazine.

Gucciardo said what sets Lourdes apart from other facilities is the focus on spirituality. The sisters attend daily mass, have spiritual reading groups and take annual retreats.

At Wilton Meadows Rehabilitation and Health Care Center on Danbury Road, they also take pride in giving their residents a home away from home. The center has 148 beds and provides 24-hour nursing care. Residents can receive physical, occupational and speech therapy services as well as help coping with arthritis, Parkinson's Disease and dementia.

Kristen Johnson, director of admissions at Wilton Meadows, said the facility has a dedicated team that wants to provide its residents with the best physical and emotional support.

"We're family caring for families," Johnson said.

Wilton Meadows recently opened up a specialized short-term rehabilitation unit that helps residents who are recovering from surgery or strokes.

"[It] gets them back to the baseline so they can return to the community safely," Johnson said.

Johnson said the facility is pushing ahead into the newest methods in Alzheimer's care. They started offering a program last May called Enjoyment, Love and Memory, which was created by the National Alzheimer's Association.