The Top High Schools

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio called the Challenge Index devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a school in 2002 divided by the number of graduating seniors. Schools that chose more than half of their students by grades or test scores were not considered because the index is designed to identify schools that challenge average students and does not work well with schools that have few or no average students. The schools ranked below have the strongest AP or IB programs in the country. Each of them is in the top four percent of all American high schools measured this way.

* gives International Baccalaureate tests

--Expanded list based on additional school data received by 6/6/2003.

Rank / School Name / City / State / Score

1 . International Academy* | Bloomfield Hills | Mich. | 6.323

2 . Stanton College Prep* | Jacksonville | Fla. | 5.639

3 . Paxon* | Jacksonville | Fla. | 4.668

4 . Alabama School of Fine Arts | Birmingham | Ala. | 4.567

5 . Jericho | Jericho | N.Y. | 4.519

6 . George Mason* | Falls Church | Va. | 4.365

7 . Eastern Sierra Academy | Bridgeport | Calif. 4.250

8 . Myers Park* | Charlotte | N.C. | 4.086

9 . Science Academy of South Texas | Mercedes | Tex. | 4.024

10 . H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. | 3.961

11 . Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies | Los Angeles | Calif. | 3.893

12 . Manhasset | Manhasset | N.Y. | 3.840

13 . Wyoming | Cincinnati | Ohio | 3.782

14 . Bellevue | Bellevue | Wash. | 3.755

15 . Highland Park | Dallas | Tex. | 3.693

16 . Edgemont | Scarsdale | N.Y | 3.673

17 . International | Bellevue | Wash. | 3.643

18 . Great Neck South | Great Neck | N.Y. | 3.640

19 . Newport Bellevue | Bellevue | Wash. | 3.625

20 . Cold Spring Harbor | Cold Spring Harbor | N.Y. | 3.573

21 . Mills University Studies | Little Rock | Ark. | 3.564

22 . Lincoln Park Academy* | Fort Pierce | Fla. | 3.521

23 . W.T. Woodson* | Fairfax | Va. | 3.448

24 . Yorktown | Arlington | Va. | 3.422

25 . St. Petersburg* | St. Petersburg | Fla. | 3.403

26 . Brighton | Rochester | N.Y. | 3.357

27 . Great Neck North | Great Neck | N.Y. | 3.298

28 . Greeley | Chappaqua | N.Y. | 3.240

29 . Washington-Lee* | Arlington | Va. | 3.192

30 . Wheatley | Old Westbury | N.Y. | 3.146

31 . Langley | McLean | Va. | 3.144

32 . Indian Hill | Cincinnati | Ohio | 3.100

33 . Fort Myers* | Fort Myers | Fla. | 3.075

34 . Pittsford Mendon | Pittsford | N.Y. | 3.053

35 . Vandermeulen | Port Jefferson | N.Y | 3.040

36 . Weston | Weston | Mass. | 3.009

37 . Westlake | Austin | Tex. | 3.004

38 . Richard Montgomery* | Rockville | Md. | 2.969

39 . University Laboratory | Urbana | Ill. | 2.932

40 . High Technology | Lincroft | N.J. | 2.917

41 . Miami Palmetto | Miami | Fla. | 2.914

42 . Pittsford Sutherland | Pittsford | N.Y. | 2.881

43 . Lyndon B. Johnson | Austin | Tex. | 2.879

44 . Enloe* | Raleigh | N.C. | 2.879

45 . Rye | Rye | N.Y. | 2.878

46 . Eastside* | Gainesville | Fla. | 2.868

47 . Walter Johnson | Bethesda | Md. | 2.848

48 . Westfield | Chantilly | Va. | 2.848

49 . La Jolla Calif. | La Jolla | Calif. | 2.802

50 . Providence | Charlotte | N.C. | 2.800

51 . Bronxville | Bronxville | N.Y. | 2.780

52 . Banneker | Washington | D.C. | 2.796

53 . Gunn | Palo Alto | Calif. | 2.791

54 . Hewlett | Hewlett | N.Y. | 2.780

55 . East Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | N.C. | 2.774

56 . University | Irvine | Calif. | 2.772

57 . Atlantic Community* | Delray Beach | Fla. | 2.745

58 . Robinson* | Fairfax | Va. | 2.736

59 . Wilson Magnet* | Rochester | N.Y. | 2.735

60 . Westwood* | Austin | Tex. | 2.709

61 . Bernards | Bernardsville | N.J. | 2.707

62 . Miller Place | Miller Place | N.Y. | 2.700

63 . Syosset | Syosset | N.Y. | 2.699

64 . Wootton | Rockville | Md. | 2.699

65 . South Side* | Rockville Centre | N.Y. | 2.690

66 . Millburn | Millburn | N.J. | 2.673

67 . Kennedy | Bellmore | N.Y. | 2.668

68 . Harding University* | Charlotte | N.C. | 2.665

69 . Stevenson | Lincolnshire | Ill. | 2.658

70 . Foshay Learning Center | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.651

71 . Chagrin Falls | Chagrin Falls | Ohio | 2.625

72 . Chantilly | Chantilly | Va. | 2.620

73 . East Hampton | East Hampton | N.Y. | 2.598

74 . North Shore | Glen Head | N.Y. | 2.591

75 . Buchholz | Gainesville | Fla. | 2.573

76 . San Dieguito Academy | Encinitas | Calif. | 2.566

77 . Scarsdale | Scarsdale | N.Y. | 2.565

78 . Churchill | Potomac | Md. | 2.557

79 . Torrey Pines | San Diego | Calif. | 2.541

80 . Cresskill | Cresskill | N.J. | 2.533

81 . Edina | Edina | Minn. | 2.528

82 . Marine & Science Tech | Miami | Fla. | 2.520

83 . Roslyn | Roslyn Heights | N.Y. | 2.505

84 . Duxbury | Duxbury | Mass. | 2.502

85 . Mamaroneck | Mamaroneck | N.Y. | 2.500

86 . Bellaire* | Bellaire | Tex. | 2.493

87 . Stonewall Jackson* | Manassas | Va. | 2.489

88 . Monta Vista | Cupertino | Calif. | 2.470

89 . Whitman | Bethesda | Md. | 2.450

90 . Ardsley | Ardsley | N.Y. | 2.448

91 . Lynbrook | San Jose | Calif. | 2.442

92 . Fairfax | Fairfax | Va. | 2.436

93 . Spruce Creek* | Port Orange | Fla. | 2.436

94 . Palos Verdes Peninsula | Rolling Hills Estates | Calif. | 2.435

95 . East Mecklenburg* | Charlotte | N.C. | 2.434

96 . Irondequoit | Rochester | N.Y. | 2.432

97 . Calhoun | Merrick | N.Y. | 2.419

98 . Troy* | Fullerton | Calif. | 2.407

99 . Sunny Hills* | Fullerton | Calif. | 2.384

100 . Oak Park | Oak Park | Calif. | 2.382

101 . John Jay | Cross River | N.Y. | 2.371

102 . Lewiston-Porter | Youngstown | N.Y. | 2.367

103 . North Hollywood | Los Angeles | Calif. | 2.349

104 . Garden City | Garden City | N.Y. | 2.346

105 . Sumner Academy* | Kansas City | Kan. | 2.340

106 . Croton-Harmon | Croton-on-Hudson | N.Y. | 2.338

107 . Point Loma | San Diego | Calif. | 2.329

108 . West Potomac | Fairfax | Va. | 2.325

109 . Princeton | Princeton | N.J. | 2.323

110 . Southside* | Greenville | S.C. | 2.315

111 . Lincoln | Tallahassee | Fla. | 2.312

112 . Southwest* | Minneapolis | Minn. | 2.307

113 . Madison | Vienna | Va. | 2.302

114 . Eastchester | Eastchester | N.Y. | 2.290

115 . Herndon | Herndon | Va. | 2.286

116 . Lake Braddock | Burke | Va. | 2.281

117 . La Costa Canyon | Carlsbad | Calif. | 2.281

118 . Colleyville Heritage | Colleyville | Tex. | 2.271

119 . Marshall Fundamental | Pasadena | Calif. | 2.268

120 . Plano West | Plano | Tex. | 2.267

121 . Lower Merion | Ardmore | Penn. | 2.236

122 . McKinney | McKinney | Tex. | 2.250

123 . Grimsley* | Greensboro | N.C. | 2.250

124 . Clarke County* | Berryville | Va. | 2.234

125 . Malibu | Malibu | Calif. | 2.215

126 . Briarcliff | Briarcliff Manor | N.Y. | 2.212

127 . Menchville | Newport News | Va. | 2.210

128 . Falls Church | Fairfax | Va. | 2.209

129 . Coronado* | Coronado | Calif. | 2.195

130 . Mission San Jose | Fremont | Calif. | 2.192

131 . Mepham | Bellmore | N.Y. | 2.188

132 . Mountain Brook | Mountain Brook | Ala. | 2.182

133 . Floral Park | Floral Park | N.Y. | 2.180

134 . Lower Moreland | Huntingdon Valley | Pa. | 2.177

135 . Solon | Solon | Ohio | 2.176

136 . Menlo-Atherton | Atherton | Calif. | 2.176

137 . Half Hollow Hills East | Dix Hills | N.Y. | 2.172

138 . New Hartford | New Hartford | N.Y. | 2.171

139 . Ithaca | Ithaca | N.Y. | 2.162

140 . Westlake | Westlake Village | Calif. | 2.156

141 . Sammamish | Bellevue | Wash. | 2.155

142 . South Mecklenburg | Charlotte | N.C. | 2.152

143 . Oakton | Vienna | Va. | 2.141

144 . Beachwood | Beachwood | Ohio | 2.134

145 . West Springfield | Springfield | Va. | 2.132

146 . Tappan Zee | Orangeburg | N.Y. | 2.131