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
900 Woodrow Wilson Portland Ore. 1.319 20.5 14.8
902 Edward R. Murrow Brooklyn N.Y. 1.319 24.3 25.1
903 Merritt Island Merritt Island Fla. 1.318 27.4 13.0
903 Smoky Hill** Aurora Colo. 1.318 29.9 12.9
905 Wayland Wayland Mass. 1.317 35.3 3.0
905 Spartanburg Spartanburg S.C. 1.317 48.4
905 Granby** Norfolk Va. 1.317 46.1
908 Dunwoody Dunwoody Ga. 1.316 21.1 21.4
909 Upper Arlington** Upper Arlington Ohio 1.315 29.2 0.0
909 North Farmington Farmington Hills Mich. 1.315 38.5 4.2
910 Mountain Lakes M.L. N.J. 1.315 40.5 n/a
912 Brainerd Brainerd Minn. 1.314 29.4 28.0
912 Fairview Fairview Tenn. 1.314 14.4 19.0
914 Chatham Chatham N.J. 1.313 36.9 1.7
915 Governor Livingston Berkeley Heights N.J. 1.311 n/a
916 Santa Ynez Valley Union Santa Ynez Calif. 1.31 16.0
917 Heritage Newport News Va. 1.307 5.4 51.0
918 Shorewood Shorewood Wisc. 1.306 7.8
918 New Canaan New Canaan Conn. 1.306 46.1 Less than 1
918 Potomac Dumfries Va. 1.306 26.0
918 Northeast Guilford McLeansville N.C. 1.306 30.5 32.0
922 Richland Northeast Columbia S.C. 1.306 21.8 36.6
923 Wayzata Plymouth Minn. 1.305 33.1 12.4
924 Douglas County** Castle Rock Colo. 1.304 1.0
925 Venice Venice Calif. 1.302 58.0
925 Eleanor Roosevelt Greenbelt Md. 1.302 28.9 19.0
927 Peters Township McMurray Pa. 1.299 n/a
927 Lake Oswego Lake Oswego Ore. 1.299 44.4 3.7
929 Brentsville Nokesville Va. 1.296 3.0
930 Hudson Hudson Ohio 1.295 34.9 n/a
930 Locust Valley** Locust Valley N.Y. 1.295 5.0
930 St. Anthony St. Anthony Minn. 1.295 34.6 12.6
933 Franklin Elk Grove Calif. 1.294 19.3
934 Fremd Palatine Ill. 1.292 30.2 6.4
935 Bainbridge Bainbridge Wash. 1.291 39.8 n/a
936 Roosevelt Sioux Falls S.D. 1.289 23.8 15.8
936 Brookfield Brookfield Wisc. 1.289 31.8 5.2
938 Lafayette St. Joseph Mo. 1.288 n/a
939 Golden Valley Merced Calif. 1.287 13.5 63.8
940 Mission San Francisco Calif. 1.283 55.3
941 Peninsula Gig Harbor Wash. 1.282 14.5 22.0
941 Seabreeze Daytona Beach Fla. 1.282 13.0
941 Lincoln College Prep** Kansas City Mo. 1.282 53.0
944 Yorktown Yorktown Heights N.Y. 1.28 41.3 Less than 1
944 Freehold Freehold N.J. 1.28 15.0
946 Sickles Tampa Fla. 1.279 26.4 11.0
946 Fauquier Warrenton Va. 1.279 14.9 9.0
948 Pioneer Ann Arbor Mich. 1.278 14.0
949 Hilton Head** Hilton Head S.C. 1.277 29.1 n/a
950 Ellison Killeen Texas 1.276 35.0
951 Bowie El Paso Texas 1.274 94.0
952 Edison San Antonio Texas 1.273 2.3 100.0
952 White Plains White Plains N.Y. 1.273 32.0 33.3
954 Fairfield-Warde Fairfield Conn. 1.271 30.9 2.7
954 East Meadow East Meadow N.Y. 1.271 6.0
956 Belleview Belleview Fla. 1.27 52.5 30.6
957 Monroe Sepulveda Calif. 1.27 74.6
958 Chapin El Paso Texas 1.269 11.7 54.0
958 American Miami Fla. 1.269 8.5 45.0
958 Catalina Foothills Tucson Ariz. 1.269 33.1 0.0
961 Renaissance High School for the Arts Long Beach Calif. 1.268 74.0
962 Tascosa Amarillo Texas 1.267 12.4 32.0
962 Glendora Glendora Calif. 1.267 None
964 Tabb Yorktown Va. 1.267 7.0
965 Jenison Jenison Mich. 1.266 42.4 13.6
966 Ketcham Wappingers Falls N.Y. 1.265 19.1 8.0
966 Gabrielino San Gabriel Calif. 1.265 26.2 52.0
968 Dunbar Lexington Ky. 1.264 24.8 22.0
969 South Hills Fort Worth Texas 1.264 66.1
970 Middleton Tampa Fla. 1.263 13.3 n/a
970 McIntosh Peachtree City Ga. 1.263 27.3 Less than 1
972 Western Hills Fort Worth Texas 1.261 24.6
973 Naaman Forest Garland Texas 1.26 17.6 29.7
974 Springstead Spring Hill Fla. 1.26 36.0 29.3
975 Newton North Newtonville Mass. 1.259 44.1 n/a
975 Sonora** La Habra Calif. 1.259 13.1 3.3
975 Overland Aurora Colo. 1.259 18.8 37.9
978 Sandburg Orland Park Ill. 1.257 4.8
979 Elk Grove Elk Grove Calif. 1.256 18.1
980 Canyon** Anaheim Calif. 1.256 3.3
981 Sycamore Cincinnati Ohio 1.254 6.0
982 Bountiful Doug Lake Utah 1.254 27.1 17.0
983 Canandaigua Academy** Canandaigua N.Y. 1.253 23.4 19.0
984 Gateway** Kissimmee Fla. 1.252 4.3 55.3
985 Encinal Alameda Calif. 1.251 15.9 65.0
986 Shoreham-Wading River Shoreham N.Y. 1.25 n/a
987 Grand Island Grand Island N.Y. 1.249 30.6 10.0
988 Riverside Durham N.C. 1.248 32.4 40.0
989 Mount Hebron Ellicott City Md. 1.247 24.9 5.0
990 Lower Merion Ardmore Pa. 1.246 26.5 5.0
991 Massaponax Fredricksburg Va. 1.241 10.0
992 Gar-Field Woodbridge Va. 1.239 31.0
993 Nimitz Irving Texas 1.237 16.0 50.3
993 California San Ramon Calif. 1.237 27.8 Less than 1
995 Centennial Franklin Tenn. 1.236 22.2 15.0
995 Verona Area Verona Wisc. 1.236 40.6 15.0
995 East Aurora East Aurora N.Y. 1.236 24.2 4.0
995 Watauga Boone N.C. 1.236 26.5 5.0
999 Wissahickon Ambler Pa. 1.233 5.0
1000 Pope Marietta Ga. 1.233 2.8 21.0

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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