About the High School Challenge
AP, IB and college-level tests
Graduating seniors
Challenge Index
Since 1998, The Post’s Jay Mathews has ranked Washington-area public high schools using the Challenge Index, his measure of how effectively a school prepares its students for college. (More on how the Index works below.) In 2011, the Post expanded its research to high schools across the United States.
The formula is simple: Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2010 by the number of graduating seniors. While not a measure of the overall quality of the school, the rating can reveal the level of a high school’s commitment to preparing average students for college.
A 12-page printed special section that contains the full Washington-area list, a selection of top national schools and other material can be ordered here.
More about the Challenge Index
Mathews explains the Index and answers frequently asked questions about it here.
He also discusses other methods for ranking high schools here.
Some schools may have slightly higher rankings on the D.C. area list than on the national. Scores in the D.C. list may include points for testing done for courses taught at local universities; national list scores do not.
Rankings note the percentage of a school’s students whose family incomes are low enough to qualify for federally subsidized lunches and who also apply for that program. The portion of subsidized-lunch applicants is a rough indicator of a school’s poverty level.
They also note the Equity and Excellence rate, the percentage of all seniors who have had at least one score on an AP, IB or Cambridge test that would qualify them for college credit.
Credits
Education columnist: Jay Mathews
Deputy Education Editor: Nick Anderson
Web editor: David P. Marino-Nachison
Research: Elizabeth Flock
Web development, production and design: Eric Palakovich Carr, James Buck, Grace Koerber
Print news designer: Katie Myrick
Writer: Robert Samuels
Photo editor: Mark Gail
Photographers: Mark Gail, Matt McClain
Multiplatform Editing: Pamela Feigenbaum, Mary Feeney, Anne Ferguson-Rohrer, Bruce Guthrie, Jennifer Morehead, Jonathan Padget, Lydia Rebac, Megan Voelkel, Leslie Waugh, Nathan Willis
Contact Us
If you have questions about The High School Challenge, your school’s ranking, or are a school administrator who wants to submit a photo, e-mail us.
Contact the Post
Administrators with questions about their school's data can
e-mail us.
High School Challenge
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