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

*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