2010 Challenge Index | washingtonpost.com

The Washington Post Challenge Index measures a public high school’s effort to challenge all of its students. The formula is simple: Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2009 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 the one quantifiable factor that seems to reveal best the level of a high school’s commitment to preparing average students for college.

When compared with schools across the country, Washington-area schools are overall the most encouraging of college-level testing, as measured by the index. In the list below, any school with a rating of 1.000 or above is in the top 6 percent of all U.S. high schools in encouraging students to take AP, IB or Cambridge tests. That means 77 percent of Washington area schools rank in the top 6 percent of U.S. schools, measured this way.

Also listed is 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 a disadvantage in persuading students to take college-level courses and tests, but some on this list have succeeded in doing so anyway.

In parenthesis 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 AP Equity and Excellence rate for all U.S. schools is about 15 percent.

For the 24 schools with AP test passing rates under 10 percent, see the separate 2010 Challenge Index—Catching Up schools list.

RANK	SCHOOL	DISTRICT	INDEX	E&E %	SUBS. LUNCH %
1	H-B Woodlawn **	Arlington	6.000	86.80	18.00
2	Richard Montgomery * **	Montgomery	5.663	62.10	16.00
3	Columbia Heights (formerly Bell Multicultural) **	DC	5.595	24.60	84.00
4	George Mason *	Falls Church	5.333	66.70	6.00
5	Poolesville **	Montgomery	4.867	50.20	4.00
6	Washington-Lee * **	Arlington	4.797	45.50	34.00
7	Bethesda Chevy Chase * **	Montgomery	4.795	72.20	9.00
8	Churchill **	Montgomery	4.470	77.90	2.00
9	T.S. Wootton **	Montgomery	4.428	79.90	4.00
10	Yorktown **	Arlington	4.344	73.60	15.00
11	Whitman **	Montgomery	4.298	75.20	2.00
12	School Without Walls **	D.C.	4.264	47.30	22.00
13	W. T. Woodson **	Fairfax	4.137	69.40	7.00
14	Walter Johnson **	Montgomery	4.089	65.50	6.00
15	Woodrow Wilson **	D.C.	4.011	32.00	39.00
16	McLean **	Fairfax	4.002	70.30	8.00
17	Langley **	Fairfax	3.767	67.10	2.00
18	Montgomery Blair **	Montgomery	3.594	52.90	31.00
19	Centreville **	Fairfax	3.591	51.90	17.00
20	James Madison **	Fairfax	3.569	59.70	7.00
21	Loudoun Valley **	Loudoun	3.542	43.90	6.00
22	Herndon **	Fairfax	3.523	54.10	23.00
23	Oakton **	Fairfax	3.496	59.70	9.00
24	River Hill **	Howard	3.495	46.30	4.00
25	Lake Braddock **	Fairfax	3.418	51.70	14.00
26	Fairfax **	Fairfax	3.369	55.30	21.00
27	Severna Park **	Anne Arundel	3.355	48.70	3.00
28	Broad Run **	Loudoun	3.346	36.50	12.00
29	Dominion **	Loudoun	3.254	28.30	18.00
30	Marshall *	Fairfax	3.228	61.40	18.00
31	Stone Bridge **	Loudoun	3.210	41.50	6.00
32	Freedom **	Loudoun	3.200	32.00	10.00
33	Briar Woods **	Loudoun	3.173	40.10	6.00
34	South Lakes *	Fairfax	3.135	48.00	33.00
35	Quince Orchard **	Montgomery	3.134	49.20	17.00
36	Chantilly **	Fairfax	3.125	51.30	12.00
37	Banneker * **	D.C.	3.093	17.00	46.00
38	Centennial **	Howard	3.047	42.70	5.00
39	Paint Branch **	Montgomery	2.921	41.40	22.00
40	West Springfield **	Fairfax	2.873	48.90	11.00
41	Broadneck **	Anne Arundel	2.830	45.60	6.00
42	Annapolis * **	Anne Arundel	2.790	25.70	33.00
43	Rockville * **	Montgomery	2.784	45.80	21.00
44	South County **	Fairfax	2.773	48.70	15.00
45	Potomac **	Prince William	2.768	29.00	35.00
46	Loudoun County **	Loudoun	2.761	31.70	13.00
47	Robinson * **	Fairfax	2.708	48.60	11.00
48	Hylton **	Prince William	2.707	33.60	27.00
49	Westfield **	Fairfax	2.664	54.90	14.00
50	Einstein * **	Montgomery	2.602	39.20	37.00
51	Sherwood **	Montgomery	2.593	44.20	13.00
52	Osbourn Park **	Prince William	2.580	45.40	20.00
53	Wakefield **	Arlington	2.554	36.60	48.00
54	Huntingtown **	Calvert	2.523	44.70	6.00
55	Blake **	Montgomery	2.508	47.50	20.00
56	Eleanor Roosevelt **	Prince George's	2.460	50.00	25.00
57	Clarke County * **	Clarke	2.435	70.00	13.00
58	Stuart *	Fairfax	2.429	41.30	55.00
59	Kennedy **	Montgomery	2.412	31.10	42.00
60	Northwest **	Montgomery	2.411	42.30	16.00
61	Potomac Falls **	Loudoun	2.410	39.80	12.00
62	South River **	Anne Arundel	2.364	42.50	5.00
63	Falls Church **	Fairfax	2.358	30.20	46.00
64	Urbana *	Frederick	2.329	50.20	5.00
65	Magruder **	Montgomery	2.326	44.90	24.00
66	La Plata **	Charles	2.310	33.90	12.00
67	John Handley **	Winchester	2.310	30.00	34.00
68	Wheaton **	Montgomery	2.274	26.70	53.00
69	Old Mill *	Anne Arundel	2.269	31.00	18.00
70	Gaithersburg **	Montgomery	2.248	31.00	30.00
71	West Potomac **	Fairfax	2.244	44.20	34.00
72	Hayfield **	Fairfax	2.216	30.20	25.00
73	Brentsville **	Prince William	2.202	36.70	9.00
74	Springbrook * **	Montgomery	2.201	33.20	35.00
75	Damascus **	Montgomery	2.193	42.00	10.00
76	Middletown **	Frederick	2.192	44.40	6.00
77	Gar-Field *	Prince William	2.180	36.90	44.00
78	Heritage **	Loudoun	2.158	31.70	19.00
79	Seneca Valley **	Montgomery	2.116	32.70	24.00
80	Southern **	Anne Arundel	2.071	30.00	14.00
81	Patuxent **	Calvert	2.044	34.40	15.00
82	Clarksburg **	Montgomery	2.038	31.40	24.00
83	Marriotts Ridge **	Howard	2.033	30.80	4.00
84	Battlefield **	Prince William	2.003	33.00	12.00
85	Leonardtown **	St. Mary's	1.994	34.40	13.00
86	Colonial Forge **	Stafford	1.981	29.20	10.00
87	Northwood **	Montgomery	1.948	32.20	31.00
88	Mount Hebron **	Howard	1.935	33.10	10.00
89	Rappahannock County **	Rappahannock	1.908	30.00	19.00
90	Woodbridge **	Prince William	1.908	28.60	27.00
91	Watkins Mill *	Montgomery	1.906	34.30	36.00
92	Park View **	Loudoun	1.899	25.80	38.00
93	Linganore **	Frederick	1.891	40.70	6.00
94	Edison *	Fairfax	1.870	43.40	34.00
95	Arundel Senior **	Anne Arundel	1.866	45.70	11.00
96	Great Mills **	St. Mary's	1.827	37.00	32.00
97	Meade **	Anne Arundel	1.798	16.80	29.00
98	Stonewall Jackson **	Prince William	1.777	38.10	39.00
99	Northern **	Calvert	1.724	33.80	9.00
100	Glenelg **	Howard	1.722	31.30	2.00
101	Forest Park **	Prince William	1.669	27.20	19.00
102	Oxon Hill **	Prince George's	1.639	12.10	35.00
103	M.J. McDonough **	Charles	1.635	16.80	22.00
104	Century **	Carroll	1.610	35.00	6.00
105	Chesapeake **	Anne Arundel	1.607	27.90	9.00
106	Walkersville **	Frederick	1.601	39.90	13.00
107	Northeast **	Anne Arundel	1.581	19.50	18.00
108	Catoctin **	Frederick	1.558	29.30	17.00
109	North Point **	Charles	1.545	20.90	10.00
110	Fauquier	Fauquier	1.543	32.10	15.00
111	Gov. Thomas Johnson **	Frederick	1.528	31.30	21.00
112	T.C. Williams **	Alexandria	1.505	28.00	53.00
113	Riverbend **	Spotsylvania	1.495	28.10	15.00
114	Howard **	Howard	1.494	18.50	7.00
115	Liberty **	Carroll	1.491	38.10	5.00
116	Reservoir **	Howard	1.462	29.00	16.00
117	Atholton **	Howard	1.456	27.20	6.00
118	Lee *	Fairfax	1.441	39.00	39.00
119	Frederick **	Frederick	1.440	29.70	26.00
120	Stafford **	Stafford	1.423	22.60	15.00
121	Bowie **	Prince George's	1.420	48.40	18.00
122	Annandale *	Fairfax	1.391	40.80	43.00
123	Thurgood Marshall **	D.C.	1.358	5.10	72.00
124	Brooke Point **	Stafford	1.343	16.40	14.00
125	Manassas Park **	Manassas Park	1.339	16.80	38.00
126	Mountain View *	Stafford	1.324	17.30	8.00
127	Massaponax **	Spotsylvania	1.309	25.50	23.00
128	Laurel *	Prince George's	1.252	11.60	38.00
129	High Point **	Prince George's	1.233	17.90	53.00
130	Freedom **	Prince William	1.227	10.70	56.00
131	Mount Vernon *	Fairfax	1.183	29.30	42.00
132	Central *	Prince George's	1.179	9.00	51.00
133	Brunswick **	Frederick	1.176	24.30	17.00
134	Wilde Lake **	Howard	1.167	26.50	21.00
135	Westlake **	Charles	1.162	7.90	24.00
136	Glen Burnie **	Anne Arundel	1.153	11.00	28.00
137	Calvert **	Calvert	1.137	23.70	16.00
138	Parkdale *	Prince George's	1.122	7.50	56.00
139	Cesar Chavez-Capitol Hill **	DC charter	1.095	4.80	66.00
140	Hammond **	Howard	1.094	17.20	20.00
141	Tuscarora **	Frederick	1.059	28.30	18.00
142	Chopticon **	St. Mary's	1.058	20.10	14.00
143	Winters Mill **	Carroll	1.058	32.50	16.00
144	Ellington **	D.C.	1.038	19.60	38.00
145	McKinley Technology **	D.C.	1.011	3.60	45.00
146	Osbourn **	Manassas City	0.987	17.30	36.00
147	Stone **	Charles	0.970	14.70	22.00
148	Flowers **	Prince George's	0.969	10.40	32.00
149	Lackey **	Charles	0.949	7.40	29.00
150	Northwestern **	Prince George's	0.869	19.20	57.00
151	North County **	Anne Arundel	0.867	10.00	26.00
152	Oakland Mills **	Howard	0.857	15.70	27.00
153	Westminster **	Carroll	0.857	23.90	9.00
154	North Stafford **	Stafford	0.856	15.70	13.00
155	Courtland **	Spotsylvania	0.855	29.50	17.00
156	South Carroll **	Carroll	0.839	24.10	4.00
157	Eastern View **	Culpeper	0.807	9.50	32.00
158	Culpeper County **	Culpeper	0.763	16.40	16.00
159	Long Reach **	Howard	0.754	11.10	20.00
160	Suitland *	Prince George's	0.747	3.50	43.00
161	Chancellor **	Spotsylvania	0.729	19.90	25.00
162	DuVal **	Prince George's	0.724	7.90	44.00
163	Warren County **	Warren	0.696	9.00	13.00
164	North Carroll **	Carroll	0.679	17.20	9.00
165	Monroe **	Fredericksburg	0.657	17.60	37.00
166	Liberty **	Fauquier	0.641	20.40	20.00
167	Key **	Carroll	0.634	13.30	19.00
168	Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. **	Prince George's	0.590	2.90	27.00
169	Skyline **	Warren	0.586	3.00	30.00
170	Frederick Douglass **	Prince George's	0.535	4.20	24.00
171	Spotsylvania **	Spotsylvania	0.512	10.10	31.00
172	Roosevelt **	D.C.	0.478	3.00	67.00

*Mostly IB tests.
**Mostly AP tests and other tests, such as Cambridge.
***Both AP and IB tests.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, with a rating of 7.307 and an Equity and Excellence rate of 100 percent, was not ranked because it is a magnet school with a selective admissions policy and an average SAT score, 2184, 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 like Jefferson that have few or no average students.

Kettle Run High School in Fauquier County was not included because it is a new school and did not have a full senior class graduating in 2009.