The national rankings
The top 25 schools in the America’s Most Challenging High Schools list, as ranked by The Washington Post’s Jay Mathews. For schools that did not provide an average SAT score, out of a possible 1600, the average ACT score, out of a possible 36, appears instead, noted with an (*). A (P) after a school’s name indicates it is a private school. The meals subsidy percentage indicates the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, an indicator of family income and financial need. The updated list takes into account the IDEA charter network’s new data, which pushes three of its schools out of the top 10. For the full updated version, go to washingtonpost.com/highschoolchallenge.
Rank | School | Location | State | Challenge rating | Meals subsidy % | Average SAT score |
1. | BASIS Phoenix | Phoenix | Ariz. | 26.25 | N/A | 1348 |
2. | Mickey Leland College Prep | Houston | Tex. | 21.00 | 73 | 942 |
3. | Signature | Evansville | Ind. | 17.25 | 11 | 1215 |
4. | BASIS Oro Valley | Oro Valley | Ariz. | 16.79 | N/A | 1342 |
5. | BASIS Flagstaff | Flagstaff | Ariz. | 15.20 | N/A | 1318 |
6. | IDEA Frontier College Prep | Brownsville | Tex. | 14.41 | 87 | 21.9* |
7. | American Indian Public Charter | Oakland | Calif. | 14.15 | 83 | 1242 |
8. | Keystone (P) | San Antonio | Tex. | 14.00 | N/A | 1393 |
9. | Stanton College Prep. | Jacksonville | Fla. | 13.92 | 14 | 1233 |
10. | IDEA San Juan College Prep | San Juan | Tex. | 12.83 | 93 | 20.5* |
11. | Carnegie Vanguard | Houston | Tex. | 12.54 | 28.3 | 1297 |
12. | IDEA Mission College Prep | Mission | Tex. | 12.34 | 92 | 20.3* |
13. | IDEA San Benito College Prep | San Benito | Tex. | 11.67 | 80 | 20.2* |
14. | Uplift North Hills Preparatory | Irving | Tex. | 11.53 | 20 | 1201 |
15. | Suncoast Community | Riviera Beach | Fla. | 11.26 | 38 | 1189 |
16. | St. Anselm’s Abbey School (P) | Washington | D.C. | 11.15 | N/A | 1342 |
17. | Jefferson County IB | Irondale | Ala. | 11.08 | 20 | 1255 |
18. | Young Women’s College Prep | Houston | Tex. | 11.00 | 70 | 893 |
19. | Jose Marti MAST | Hialeah | Fla. | 10.84 | 77 | 1084 |
20. | Uplift Summit International Preparatory | Arlington | Tex. | 10.79 | 69 | 996 |
21. | IDEA Quest College Prep | Edinburg | Tex. | 10.44 | 85 | 21.1* |
22. | Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts | Jacksonville | Fla. | 10.30 | 43 | 1014 |
23. | Pine Crest (P) | Fort Lauderdale | Fla. | 10.17 | N/A | 1308 |
24. | Boca Raton Community | Boca Raton | Fla. | 9.94 | 38 | 31* |
25. | South Texas Academy for Medical Professions | Olmito | Tex. | 9.88 | 76 | 937 |