Hi guys. The Washington Post's 'Most Challenging High Schools' list seems pretty comprehensive but I'm having trouble understanding the metrics they use. Could somebody shed some light on this?
Sure, I'd be happy to help clarify. The Washington Post's annual list of "Most Challenging High Schools" has been a popular resource for parents and students over the years.
The main metric that the list uses is the "Challenge Index." Essentially, this index is a ratio that compares the number of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) tests that were taken at a school in a given year, to the number of graduating seniors.
For example, if a school had 100 seniors and administered 200 of these college-level exams, the Challenge Index would be 2.0. The idea is that a higher ratio indicates that the school is providing more rigorous coursework and encouraging more students to take on that challenge.
Another factor that goes into the list is the percentage of seniors who passed at least one of these college-level exams. This is used to ensure that a school is not just having many students take these tests, but that the students are also succeeding on them.
Keep in mind that the metrics used for this list are just one way to evaluate a high school's rigor and general quality. A high school could very well be excellent in other ways not reflected by this list. For instance, a school might not offer a lot of AP classes but might have wonderful extracurricular offerings, impressive arts programs, or a strong and supportive school community. Always remember to look at the bigger picture when evaluating schools!
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