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

*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.

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