Admissions 101 | Class Struggle | Extra Credit | The Catching Up Schools | Top Districts

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 graduating seniors. Tests taken by all students, not just seniors, are counted.

The rating is not a measure of the overall quality of the school but illuminates one factor that many educators consider important and that can favorably affect other factors.

When compared with schools across the country, Washington area schools are the most encouraging overall of college-level testing. In the list below, any school with a rating of 1.000 or above is in the top six percent of all U.S. high schools in encouraging students to take AP, IB or Cambridge tests. Also listed are 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 disadvantage in persuading students to take college-level courses, but some on this list have succeeded in doing so.

After each school's name is its 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. The average Equity and Excellence rate for all U.S. schools is about 15 percent.


RANK SCHOOL DISTRICT INDEX E&E % SUBS. LUNCH %
163 Sherando Frederick 0.288 0.10
93 T.C. Williams ** Alexandria 1.710 0.32 0.50
99 Chesapeake Anne Arundel 1.613 0.24 0.08
144 Glen Burnie Anne Arundel 0.847 0.10 0.25
37 Broadneck Anne Arundel 2.802 0.50 0.05
21 Severna Park Anne Arundel 3.281 0.53 0.03
94 Meade Anne Arundel 1.710 0.17 0.27
87 Southern Anne Arundel 1.818 0.21 0.11
151 Northeast Anne Arundel 0.752 0.14 0.14
122 North County Anne Arundel 1.194 0.09 0.24
102 Arundel Senior Anne Arundel 1.551 0.32 0.10
63 Old Mill * Anne Arundel 2.222 0.15 0.15
62 South River Anne Arundel 2.306 0.41 0.04
54 Annapolis * Anne Arundel 2.398 0.21 0.29
10 Yorktown Arlington 3.809 0.62 0.13
1 H-B Woodlawn Arlington 5.250 0.85 0.13
16 Wakefield Arlington 3.500 0.39 0.43
7 Washington-Lee ** Arlington 4.321 0.41 0.30
137 Calvert Calvert 0.964 0.16 0.15
75 Patuxent Calvert 2.069 0.27 0.13
110 Northern Calvert 1.426 0.28 0.09
67 Huntingtown Calvert 2.160 0.39 0.06
107 Liberty Carroll 1.485 0.39 0.04
127 Century Carroll 1.059 0.26 0.07
154 Westminster Carroll 0.674 0.21 0.09
156 North Carroll Carroll 0.602 0.15 0.08
159 Key Carroll 0.471 0.13 0.19
145 South Carroll Carroll 0.840 0.18 0.04
150 Winters Mill Carroll 0.753 0.25 0.17
129 Stone Charles 1.051 0.14 0.18
59 La Plata Charles 2.358 0.29 0.11
126 Lackey Charles 1.111 0.10 0.23
131 Westlake Charles 1.010 0.16 0.13
84 McDonough Charles 1.852 0.16 0.16
3 Clarke County * Clarke 5.061 0.80 0.13
161 Culpeper County Culpeper 0.415 0.10 0.16
52 School Without Walls D.C. 2.416 0.30 0.13
135 Ellington D.C. 0.981 0.20 0.32
26 Banneker * D.C. 3.189 0.33 0.39
35 Woodrow Wilson D.C. 2.819 0.30 0.42
165 Roosevelt D.C. 0.193 0.02 0.54
140 Cesar Chavez D.C. 0.937 0.03 0.71
23 Oakton Fairfax 3.243 0.60 0.09
46 Robinson Fairfax 2.606 0.51 0.11
17 Fairfax Fairfax 3.429 0.44 0.20
39 West Springfield Fairfax 2.764 0.52 0.11
13 Lake Braddock Fairfax 3.705 0.60 0.13
15 McLean Fairfax 3.626 0.64 0.08
32 James Madison Fairfax 3.027 0.55 0.06
31 Falls Church Fairfax 3.030 0.36 0.46
105 Annandale * Fairfax 1.542 0.44 0.43
29 Westfield Fairfax 3.063 0.52 0.14
68 Hayfield Fairfax 2.146 0.31 0.25
28 South County Fairfax 3.139 0.41 0.15
27 Herndon Fairfax 3.183 0.57 0.21
8 W. T. Woodson Fairfax 4.229 0.62 0.07
24 Marshall * Fairfax 3.239 0.61 0.18
19 Chantilly Fairfax 3.389 0.50 0.12
76 South Lakes * Fairfax 2.048 0.43 0.34
18 Centreville Fairfax 3.442 0.50 0.17
11 Langley Fairfax 3.807 0.76 0.07
89 Edison * Fairfax 1.750 0.44 0.33
90 Lee * Fairfax 1.733 0.38 0.39
114 Mount Vernon * Fairfax 1.334 0.35 0.42
41 West Potomac Fairfax 2.733 0.36 0.36
42 Stuart * Fairfax 2.656 0.43 0.58
6 George Mason * Falls Church 4.327 0.67 0.07
88 Fauquier Fauquier 1.795 0.26 0.10
149 Liberty Fauquier 0.770 0.13 0.14
164 Milbrook Frederick 0.209 0.15
136 Tuscarora Frederick 0.978 0.24 0.15
72 Middletown Frederick 2.090 0.42 0.05
106 Frederick Frederick 1.516 0.30 0.30
91 Walkersville Frederick 1.731 0.36 0.11
121 Gov. Thomas Johnson Frederick 1.227 0.26 0.17
166 James Wood Frederick 0.150 0.12
109 Catoctin Frederick 1.433 0.10 0.13
85 Urbana * Frederick 1.833 0.45 0.04
113 Brunswick Frederick 1.356 0.20 0.13
83 Linganore Frederick 1.880 0.36 0.04
124 Monroe Fredericksburg 1.145 0.25 0.31
138 Oakland Mills Howard 0.943 0.18 0.24
111 Atholton Howard 1.415 0.25 0.05
141 Hammond Howard 0.929 0.16 0.17
120 Wilde Lake Howard 1.258 0.24 0.20
45 River Hill Howard 2.625 0.42 0.05
86 Glenelg Howard 1.829 0.31 0.02
36 Centennial Howard 2.816 0.40 0.05
52 Marriotts Ridge Howard 2.462 0.35 0.03
133 Long Reach Howard 1.000 0.19 0.19
103 Howard Howard 1.551 0.19 0.05
92 Mount Hebron Howard 1.712 0.30 0.07
116 Reservoir Howard 1.322 0.30 0.13
80 Park View Loudoun 1.975 0.33 0.30
34 Dominion Loudoun 2.876 0.33 0.17
25 Stone Bridge Loudoun 3.215 0.55 0.05
20 Loudoun Valley Loudoun 3.322 0.52 0.05
22 Broad Run Loudoun 3.277 0.41 0.11
38 Potomac Falls Loudoun 2.786 0.45 0.09
30 Loudoun County Loudoun 3.040 0.40 0.11
61 Osbourn Manassas City 2.318 0.43 0.14
115 Osbourn Manassas City 1.326 0.20 0.13
119 Manassas Park ** Manassas Park 1.295 0.10 0.37
57 Blake ** Montgomery 2.373 0.41 0.17
5 Bethesda Chevy Chase * Montgomery 4.552 0.68 0.09
14 Walter Johnson ** Montgomery 3.688 0.68 0.06
4 T.S. Wootton ** Montgomery 4.776 0.75 0.05
9 Churchill ** Montgomery 3.901 0.76 0.03
12 Whitman ** Montgomery 3.761 0.76 0.02
33 Rockville Montgomery 2.944 0.40 0.19
43 Montgomery Blair ** Montgomery 2.631 0.48 0.31
44 Quince Orchard ** Montgomery 2.625 0.49 0.16
47 Poolesville Montgomery 2.585 0.44 0.04
49 Einstein * Montgomery 2.522 0.43 0.36
50 Springbrook * Montgomery 2.516 0.38 0.31
51 Paint Branch Montgomery 2.471 0.40 0.21
60 Watkins Mill * Montgomery 2.345 0.39 0.33
65 Magruder Montgomery 2.182 0.41 0.19
69 Northwest Montgomery 2.143 0.37 0.16
71 Kennedy ** Montgomery 2.109 0.20 0.37
73 Damascus ** Montgomery 2.089 0.37 0.09
77 Seneca Valley ** Montgomery 2.038 0.28 0.24
79 Gaithersburg ** Montgomery 1.983 0.32 0.28
82 Wheaton ** Montgomery 1.913 0.22 0.48
58 Sherwood ** Montgomery 2.366 0.45 0.12
2 Richard Montgomery ** Montgomery 5.188 0.61 0.16
130 Flowers Prince George's 1.041 0.31
104 High Point Prince George's 1.547 0.22 0.53
139 Laurel * Prince George's 0.939 0.11 0.36
100 Oxon Hill Prince George's 1.600 0.11 0.32
142 Central * Prince George's 0.865 0.51
143 Northwestern Prince George's 0.857 0.19 0.54
152 DuVal Prince George's 0.722 0.06 0.40
153 Parkdale * Prince George's 0.698 0.08 0.52
157 Frederick Douglass Prince George's 0.526 0.04 0.18
160 Suitland * Prince George's 0.416 0.42
56 Eleanor Roosevelt Prince George's 2.388 0.30 0.22
40 Potomac ** Prince George's 2.752 0.28 0.33
125 Bowie Prince George's 1.118 0.10 0.17
64 Heritage Prince William 2.217 0.43 0.16
97 Woodbridge Prince William 1.629 0.22 0.25
81 Battlefield Prince William 1.941 0.32 0.10
128 Freedom Prince William 1.054 0.08 0.50
78 Gar-Field * Prince William 1.986 0.31 0.40
74 Brentsville ** Prince William 2.082 0.28 0.08
55 Hylton Prince William 2.392 0.28 0.22
117 Forest Park Prince William 1.314 0.24 0.16
101 Stonewall Jackson * Prince William 1.558 0.30 0.34
66 Rappahannock County ** Rappahannock 2.167 0.44 0.15
118 Riverbend Spotsylvania 1.308 0.26 0.10
148 Courtland Spotsylvania 0.774 0.21 0.13
155 Spotsylvania Spotsylvania 0.614 0.09 0.20
98 Massaponax Spotsylvania 1.620 0.21 0.15
134 Chancellor Spotsylvania 0.982 0.17 0.18
108 Great Mills St. Mary's 1.438 0.11 0.32
146 Chopticon St. Mary's 0.840 0.10 0.12
95 Leonardtown St. Mary's 1.693 0.25 0.11
123 Mountain View * Stafford 1.176 0.18 0.08
70 Stafford Stafford 2.137 0.22 0.14
112 Brooke Point Stafford 1.386 0.20 0.14
96 Colonial Forge Stafford 1.655 0.34 0.09
132 North Stafford Stafford 1.003 0.19 0.13
162 Skyline Warren 0.347 0.06 0.13
158 Warren County Warren 0.486 0.10 0.13
48 John Handley Winchester 2.549 0.34 0.31

*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 7.575 and an Equity and Excellence rate of 100 percent, was not ranked because it is a magnet school with a selective admissions police and an average SAT score, 2214, 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 such as Jefferson that have few or no average students.

Briar Woods and Freedom in Loudoun County, Clarksburg and Northwood in Montgomery County, Dr. Henry A. Wise in Prince George's 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.

© The Washington Post Company