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

*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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