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

*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