2007 Challenge Index
The Washington Post Challenge Index measures a public high school's effort to challenge its students. The formula is simple: Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests a school gave by the number of seniors who graduated in June. Tests taken by all students, not just seniors, are counted. Magnet or charter schools with SAT combined verbal and math averages higher than 1300, or ACT average scores above 27, are not included, since they do not have enough average students who need a challenge.
The rating is not a measurement of the overall quality of the school but illuminates one factor that many educators consider important.
When compared with schools across the country, Washington-area schools are overall the most encouraging of college-level testing. In the list below, any school with a rating of 1.000 or above is in the top 5 percent of all U.S. high schools in encouraging students to take AP, IB or Cambridge tests. Also listed is the name of the school district and 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. High poverty schools are at a disadvantage in persuading students to take college-level courses, but some on this list have succeeded in doing so anyway.
The Equity and Excellence rate is 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. The average AP Equity and Excellence rate for all U.S. schools is about 15 percent.
*Includes IB tests.
**Includes Cambridge, community college or other types of college-level final exams.
«Previous 100 Schools Next 100 Schools »
| Rank | School | City | State | Index | Equity and Excellence % | Subsidized Lunches % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 351 | High School for Arts & Business | Queens | N.Y. | 2.173 | 56.60 | 100.00 |
| 420 | Burbank** | San Antonio | Texas | 2.024 | 9.50 | 100.00 |
| 1125 | Highlands | San Antonio | Texas | 1.121 | 13.40 | 100.00 |
| 746 | Sidney Lanier | San Antonio | Texas | 1.547 | 5.60 | 100.00 |
| 1062 | Lopez | Brownsville | Texas | 1.188 | 16.00 | 100.00 |
| 1154 | Cigarroa | Laredo | Texas | 1.089 | 26.50 | 100.00 |
| 410 | Brackenridge | San Antonio | Texas | 2.054 | 9.40 | 100.00 |
| 732 | Sam Houston | San Antonio | Texas | 1.567 | n/a | 100.00 |
| 9 | Preuss UCSD | La Jolla | Calif. | 7.635 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
| 649 | Fox Technical | San Antonio | Texas | 1.671 | 7.10 | 100.00 |
| 1180 | Porter | Brownsville | Texas | 1.064 | n/a | 98.00 |
| 998 | Edison | San Antonio | Texas | 1.248 | 6.90 | 98.00 |
| 511 | Valley View | Pharr | Texas | 1.852 | 3.60 | 97.00 |
| 671 | Upper Arlington** | Upper Arlington | Ohio | 1.628 | 48.00 | 93.50 |
| 1006 | Simon Rivera | Brownsville | Texas | 1.240 | 22.80 | 93.00 |
| 1190 | Austin | Houston | Texas | 1.059 | 9.30 | 91.80 |
| 796 | Edinburg North | Edinburg | Texas | 1.484 | 38.40 | 88.00 |
| 296 | Foshay Learning Center | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.306 | 36.00 | 86.80 |
| 901 | Franklin | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.370 | 36.00 | 86.80 |
| 837 | Bell | Bell | Calif. | 1.430 | 26.30 | 86.30 |
| 1221 | Gorton | Yonkers | N.Y. | 1.030 | 4.60 | 86.00 |
| 609 | Hillcrest | Dallas | Texas | 1.722 | 15.00 | 86.00 |
| 209 | Diamond Hill-Jarvis | Fort Worth | Texas | 2.597 | n/a | 85.82 |
| 903 | Elizabeth Learning Center | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.368 | 25.70 | 84.10 |
| 1249 | Francis Polytechnic | Sun Valley | Calif. | 1.009 | 4.00 | 84.10 |
| 319 | Bell Multicultural** | Washington | D.C. | 2.253 | n/a | 81.00 |
| 701 | Lincoln | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.593 | 22.40 | 80.90 |
| 1231 | Arroyo Valley | San Bernadino | Calif. | 1.025 | 11.20 | 80.20 |
| 737 | Wilson | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.560 | 19.00 | 80.00 |
| 858 | Renaissance High School for the Arts | Long Beach | Calif. | 1.412 | 16.30 | 80.00 |
| 421 | Downtown Business Magnet | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.022 | 30.00 | 78.50 |
| 390 | Fremont | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.089 | 30.20 | 78.50 |
| 38 | YES College Prep Southeast | Houston | Texas | 4.532 | 71.40 | 78.00 |
| 774 | Amherst Central | Amherst | N.Y. | 1.518 | 35.60 | 78.00 |
| 389 | Edinburg | Edinburg | Texas | 2.090 | 36.40 | 77.00 |
| 1086 | Los Amigos | Fountain Valley | Calif. | 1.168 | 23.10 | 77.00 |
| 418 | Amon Carter-Riverside | Fort Worth | Texas | 2.028 | n/a | 76.56 |
| 1114 | Grant | Valley Green | Calif. | 1.133 | n/a | 76.20 |
| 643 | Galileo | San Francisco | Calif. | 1.680 | 75.00 | 75.00 |
| 657 | Aldine | Houston | Texas | 1.663 | 22.90 | 74.30 |
| 857 | James Monroe | Sepulveda | Calif. | 1.413 | 19.90 | 74.10 |
| 682 | Sierra Grande | Blanca | Colo. | 1.619 | 27.00 | 74.00 |
| 1093 | University Park Campus | Worcester | Mass. | 1.161 | 9.70 | 74.00 |
| 181 | North Hollywood | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.677 | 36.90 | 73.30 |
| 940 | Golden Valley | Merced | Calif. | 1.310 | 9.30 | 73.00 |
| 686 | SEED Public Charter School** | Washington | D.C. | 1.609 | n/a | 73.00 |
| 1050 | Hollywood | Hollywood | Calif. | 1.198 | 13.80 | 72.30 |
| 577 | Van Nuys | Van Nuys | Calif. | 1.762 | 38.00 | 72.00 |
| 1035 | Trimble Technical | Fort Worth | Texas | 1.210 | n/a | 71.20 |
| 969 | Muir | San Diego | Calif. | 1.278 | n/a | 71.00 |
| 508 | Los Gatos | Los Gatos | Calif. | 1.858 | 38.80 | 71.00 |
| 386 | Mission Bay | San Diego | Calif. | 2.098 | n/a | 71.00 |
| 353 | Marshall | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.165 | 27.60 | 70.80 |
| 123 | Marshall Fundamental | Pasadena | Calif. | 3.079 | 32.80 | 70.00 |
| 374 | Brooklyn Tech | Brooklyn | N.Y. | 2.136 | 63.00 | 70.00 |
| 1251 | North* | Phoenix | Ariz. | 1.003 | 21.00 | 70.00 |
| 1048 | Jonesboro | Jonesboro | Ga. | 1.199 | n/a | 70.00 |
| 1247 | Bell Gardens | Bell Gardens | Calif. | 1.011 | 13.90 | 70.00 |
| 375 | Stranahan | Fort Lauderdale | Fla. | 2.123 | 28.00 | 70.00 |
| 1253 | John Jay | San Antonio | Texas | 1.000 | 6.70 | 69.50 |
| 850 | Pasco | Pasco | Wash. | 1.418 | 17.40 | 69.00 |
| 806 | Fairfax | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.465 | 17.90 | 69.00 |
| 131 | W. T. White | Dallas | Texas | 2.992 | 23.40 | 69.00 |
| 977 | Reseda | Reseda | Calif. | 1.271 | 24.60 | 68.80 |
| 585 | Silva Magnet for Health Professions | El Paso | Texas | 1.755 | 29.60 | 68.30 |
| 166 | Joseph C. Wilson Magnet** | Rochester | N.Y. | 2.795 | 10.00 | 68.00 |
| 443 | Cleveland | Reseda | Calif. | 1.970 | 33.70 | 67.90 |
| 744 | Venice | Venice | Calif. | 1.550 | 31.00 | 67.00 |
| 228 | Andrew P Hill** | San Jose | Calif. | 2.522 | 12.00 | 67.00 |
| 438 | Garinger | Charlotte | N.C. | 1.983 | 12.00 | 67.00 |
| 836 | King Drew Medical Magnet | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.432 | n/a | 66.60 |
| 1235 | Canoga Park | Canoga Park | Calif. | 1.024 | 28.60 | 66.50 |
| 1094 | Bolsa Grande | Garden Grove | Calif. | 1.160 | 18.50 | 66.50 |
| 1155 | San Gorgonio | San Bernadino | Calif. | 1.088 | 16.60 | 66.20 |
| 315 | Hobbs | Hobbs | N.M. | 2.259 | 16.10 | 66.00 |
| 1227 | Cardozo** | Washington | D.C. | 1.028 | n/a | 66.00 |
| 350 | Garland** | Garland | Texas | 2.175 | 65.00 | 66.00 |
| 933 | Manual Arts | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.319 | 27.10 | 65.40 |
| 749 | University | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.543 | 24.00 | 65.00 |
| 974 | Riverside University | Milwaukee | Wisc. | 1.274 | 19.80 | 65.00 |
| 1071 | South Hills | Fort Worth | Texas | 1.181 | 12.00 | 65.00 |
| 597 | Edison | Fresno | Calif. | 1.737 | n/a | 65.00 |
| 1192 | Rialto | Rialto | Calif. | 1.058 | 21.40 | 64.00 |
| 1189 | Dudley | Greensboro | N.C. | 1.060 | 3.40 | 64.00 |
| 890 | Ramona | Riverside | Calif. | 1.382 | 10.50 | 63.00 |
| 158 | West** | Salt Lake City | Utah | 2.851 | 30.00 | 62.00 |
| 354 | Como Park | St. Paul | Minn. | 2.162 | 18.00 | 62.00 |
| 982 | Morrow | Morrow | Ga. | 1.268 | 7.30 | 62.00 |
| 565 | San Jose High Academy* | San Jose | Calif. | 1.773 | 40.00 | 61.00 |
| 416 | Eagle Rock | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.044 | 30.90 | 60.90 |
| 1127 | Balboa | San Francisco | Calif. | 1.120 | 26.00 | 60.90 |
| 1172 | Crenshaw | Los Angeles | Calif. | 1.071 | 5.90 | 60.80 |
| 930 | Long Island City | Queens | N.Y. | 1.328 | 27.00 | 60.80 |
| 36 | Pensacola** | Pensacola | Fla. | 4.571 | 32.80 | 60.30 |
| 245 | City College** | Baltimore | Md. | 2.447 | 57.00 | 60.00 |
| 1099 | Southwest Miami | Miami | Fla. | 1.153 | 20.30 | 60.00 |
| 46 | Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies | Los Angeles | Calif. | 4.249 | 60.10 | 59.60 |
| 244 | Columbus Alternative** | Columbus | Ohio | 2.448 | 48.50 | 59.00 |
| 243 | High Point Central** | High Point | N.C. | 2.468 | 32.00 | 58.70 |
| 663 | Salisbury | Salisbury | N.C. | 1.645 | 21.30 | 58.00 |
*Includes IB tests.
**Includes Cambridge, community college or other types of college-level final exams.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, with a rating of 7.486 and an Equity and Excellence rate of 100 percent, was not ranked because it is a magnet school with a selective admissions policy and an average SAT reading and math score, 1456, higher than the highest average for any regular enrollment school in the country. The index is designed to show which schools are challenging average students and does not work well with schools like Jefferson that have few or no average students.
Briar Woods and Freedom in Loudoun County, Battlefield and Freedom in Prince William County, Skyline in Warren County, Clarksburg and Northwood in Montgomery County, Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. in Prince George’s County, Marriotts Ridge in Howard County and North Point in Charles County were not included because they are new schools and did not have full senior classes graduating this year.
