The Challenge Index

Updated October 25, 2006; based on 2005 data

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Rank School City State Index Equity and Excellence Subsidized Lunches
700 Einstein Kensington Md. 1.517 30.0
700 Great Mills Great Mills Md. 1.517 18.2 30.0
703 Riverside Poly Riverside Calif. 1.515 25.6 26.0
704 The Woodlands The Woodlands Texas 1.515 34.9 3.0
705 Academy of Irving ISD Irving Texas 1.511 15.5 57.9
706 Hart Newhall Calif. 1.506 8.0
707 Wilson** Hacienda Heights Calif. 1.506 29.2 26.1
708 Haddonfield Haddonfield N.J. 1.505 47.9 1.0
708 Ramapo Franklin Lakes N.J. 1.505 n/a
710 Hillcrest Simpsonville S.C. 1.505 21.0
711 Eastern Louisville Ky. 1.503 26.0 25.0
711 Williamsville North Williamsville N.Y. 1.503 7.0
713 Hopkinton Hopkinton Mass. 1.498 n/a
714 Dana Hills Dana Point Calif. 1.496 31.9 12.8
715 Westfield Westfield N.J. 1.495 1.8
716 T.C. Williams Alexandria Va. 1.494 40.0
717 Hylton Woodbridge Va. 1.493 17.0
718 Avon Avon Conn. 1.493 23.0 1.0
719 Olympia Orlando Fla. 1.492 20.8 19.0
720 Rivera Brownsville Texas 1.491 24.1 85.8
720 Simi Valley Simi Valley Calif. 1.491 25.2 5.0
722 Madison San Diego Calif. 1.49 55.9
723 Wellington Community Wellington Fla. 1.488 30.9 8.5
724 Gaithersburg Gaithersburg Md. 1.484 29.3 21.0
725 Fernandina Beach Fernandina Beach Fla. 1.482 n/a
725 East Grand Rapids East Grand Rapids Mich. 1.482 5.0
727 Boerne Boerne Texas 1.48 24.5 12.4
728 Alice Alice Texas 1.478 47.0
729 Osbourn Park Manassas Va. 1.475 9.0
729 Granite Bay Granite Bay Calif. 1.475 37.3 1.0
730 Bell** Hurst Texas 1.475 14.7 23.0
732 Hinsdale South Darien Ill. 1.474 17.3 11.0
733 MacArthur Irving Texas 1.472 13.8 42.6
734 Chaparral Temecula Calif. 1.467 26.0 11.0
735 Templeton Templeton Calif. 1.466 30.1 9.1
736 Huntington Huntington N.Y. 1.465 31.1 33.0
736 Clairemont San Diego Calif. 1.465 35.6
738 Brookwood Snellville Ga. 1.464 9.2
739 Haldane Cold Spring N.Y. 1.462 0.0
739 Lindbergh** St. Louis Mo. 1.462 21.8 11.0
741 Crooms Academy of Information Technology Sanford Fla. 1.459 13.0 33.0
742 First Colonial Virginia Beach Va. 1.459 17.8 20.3
743 Huron Ann Arbor Mich. 1.458 13.0
743 Plano East** Plano Texas 1.458 25.2 17.8
745 Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch Colo. 1.458 24.7 1.5
746 Hill** San Jose Calif. 1.458 28.0 69.0
747 Charlottesville Charlottesville Va. 1.457 30.7 35.6
748 Highland Park** St. Paul Minn. 1.456 48.0
749 Hanna Brownsville Texas 1.453 11.7 79.8
750 Daniel Central S.C. 1.451 80.0 20.0
751 Watchung Hills Warren N.J. 1.45 1.0
751 Nicolet Glendale Wisc. 1.45 38.2 10.0
753 Midwood Brooklyn N.Y. 1.448 47.4 40.5
753 Newsome Lithia Fla. 1.448 27.2 8.7
755 Riverside Greer S.C. 1.446 9.0
755 Viewmont Bountiful Utah 1.446 1.0
757 Prairie Ridge Crystal Lake Ill. 1.445 2.0
758 Lake Travis Austin Texas 1.444 36.9 10.5
758 Hamilton Los Angeles Calif. 1.444 49.2
760 Arlington Arlington N.Y. 1.444 29.9 4.5
761 Clover Hill Midlothian Va. 1.443 n/a
762 Woodbridge Woodbridge Va. 1.441 24.0
763 Southeast Guilford Greensboro N.C. 1.44 16.0 24.0
764 Northwest Germantown Md. 1.439 13.0
764 Rio Americano Sacramento Calif. 1.439 28.8 7.2
765 Mounds View Arden Hills Minn. 1.439 7.0
767 Neuqua Valley Naperville Ill. 1.438 26.5 1.7
767 Madeira Cincinnati Ohio 1.438 18.3 3.0
769 Catonsville Catonsville Md. 1.437 28.9 n/a
769 La Plata La Plata Md. 1.437 21.4 15.0
771 Greenwich Greenwich Conn. 1.435 42.0 8.7
772 Highlands San Antonio Texas 1.434 9.7 100.0
773 Clarkstown North New City N.Y. 1.433 34.0 7.0
774 Lyle Lyle Minn. 1.429 51.0
775 Mount Carmel San Diego Calif. 1.424 11.6
776 Cajon** San Bernardino Calif. 1.42 2.2 45.5
776 Burroughs Burbank Calif. 1.42 n/a
778 New Fairfield New Fairfield Conn. 1.42 n/a
779 Southwest Fort Worth Texas 1.419 25.4
779 Bethlehem Central Delmar N.Y. 1.419 42.3 3.0
779 Irving Irving Texas 1.419 20.8 56.4
781 Cranford Cranford N.J. 1.419 35.1 Less than 1
783 Eastlake Chula Vista Calif. 1.417 12.0
783 Walt Whitman Huntington Station N.Y. 1.417 30.3 24.8
785 Satellite Satellite Beach Fla. 1.416 6.0
785 West Babylon West Babylon N.Y. 1.416 17.0
785 Peachtree Ridge Suwanee Ga. 1.416 18.5
785 Libertyville Libertyville Ill. 1.416 45.1 Less than 1
789 Ottawa Hills Ottawa Hills Ohio 1.416 34.6 0.0
790 Brookline Brookline Mass. 1.415 41.7 13.2
790 Fairport** Fairport N.Y. 1.415 45.2 9.0
792 Kennedy Sacramento Calif. 1.413 13.6 33.4
793 Firestone** Akron Ohio 1.412 18.0
794 Martin County Stuart Fla. 1.41 31.8 18.0
794 Massapequa Massapequa N.Y. 1.41 20.3 Less than 1
796 Northern Owings Md. 1.409 27.5 7.0
798 The Colony The Colony Texas 1.409 14.4 18.3
798 Poquoson Poquoson Va. 1.408 25.6 6.8
798 Miami Coral Park Miami Fla. 1.408 23.5 55.5
800 Heritage Lynchburg Va. 1.403 15.7 42.0

The formula for Challenge Index: Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college level tests a school gave by the number of seniors who graduated in June. Tests taken by all students, not just seniors, are counted.

Equity and Excellence rate, the percentage of all seniors, including those not in AP, calculated by the College Board to have had at least one score of 3 or above on the 5-point test in high school. This statistic is new, the College Board was not able to provide it to all schools, and some schools count the number of seniors differently than others. An IB or combined AP and IB version of that rating was calculated for some IB schools by school district officials at the Post's request. The average AP Equity and Excellence rate for all U.S. schools is 14.1%.

Ranked high schools in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia have been bolded.
* Schools that offer IB tests
** Schools that offer AP and IB tests



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