Newswek Top High Schools: All 4 Arlington High Schools in top 2% in nation

[Anonymous]

For Immediate Release: June 14, 2010

Arlington High Schools Top Newsweek Rankings

H-B Woodlawn Ranks Highest of Area High Schools


All four Arlington high schools were ranked in the top two percent of high schools in the nation according to this year’s Newsweek rankings. The annual list of top high schools was released by Newsweek today.


According to the Newsweek list, H-B Woodlawn ranks the highest of all area high schools at number 27.


Rankings are determined by using The Washington Post Challenge Index, which rates each school by dividing the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2009 divided by the number of graduating seniors. A score of 1.000 means the school had as many AP and/or IB tests taken as graduating seniors.


Out of over 1,500 schools with a Challenge Index rating of 1.000 or higher, representing six percent of the approximately 27,000 high schools in the nation, APS high school rankings were:

· H-B Woodlawn – ranked #27 (with a rating of 6)

· Washington-Lee – ranked #62 (with a rating of 4.797)

· Yorktown– ranked #82 (with a rating of 4.344)

· Wakefield– ranked #375 (with a rating of 2.554)


"While this list focuses on AP and IB participation, this is only one way to measure the quality of our schools," said Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy. "Last year, three-quarters of our graduating seniors took advanced courses, which shows the tremendous commitment of our teachers and administrators as well as the role parents take in their child's education and success in school."


He continued, "We have improved dramatically over the years and we are continuing our work to find other ways to improve and enhance the instructional program for students."


The June 14 Newsweek article and the complete Challenge Index list are available online at www.newsweek.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
· Washington-Lee – ranked #62 (with a rating of 4.797)

· Yorktown– ranked #82 (with a rating of 4.344)

this defies conventional wisdom.

[Anonymous]

Wow, 4 DC High Schools made it into the top two percent as well!

#37 Bell Multicultural (5.595)
#100 Woodrow Wilson (4.011)
#111 School Without Walls (3.793)
#224 Banneker (3.093)

I know this is the VA board, and I live in NoVa myself, but I am just happy to see DC public schools doing so well.

[Anonymous]

Weird that none of these schools made it into the US News "Best High Schools" list.

[Anonymous]

It's not weird - it's to be expected since Newsweek and US News employ different methodologies.

The Newsweek standard focuses on the number of AP and IB exams that students at a particular school take. It has nothing to do with how well the students actually perform on those exams.

The US News approach focuses more on actual test results and effectively gives "extra credit" to schools where the minority and/or lower-income students at the school perform comparatively well on standardized tests.

[Anonymous]

"Weird that none of these schools made it into the US News "Best High Schools" list."

Not weird. I'm pretty sure the Best High Schools list includes private and magnet schools. There is a Newsweek Best Public High Schools list (don't think they do it every year though) and the Arlington schools have been on that one in the past....

[Anonymous]

Actually Banneker and three DC charters made it onto the US News lists.

[Anonymous]

George Mason of Falls Church City ranks better than most Arlington's high school with the exception of H-B Woodlawn. Does this make sense?

[Anonymous]

The methodology is flawed. It doesn't account for the percentage of tests actually passed. So, any school that mandates AP/IB tests is automatically "the best."

[Anonymous]

PP is correct. As a matter of fact, a lot of schools strongly encourage kids to take AP classes so that it will look good. A lot of kids enrolled in these classes have no business being in them. They are not strong readers, and they don't have a strong work ethic. Some of them don't even show up for the exam...not an AP student in my book.

[Anonymous]

I think the US News ranking make more sense to me -- it takes into account the percentage of student passing AP tests, rather than just the percentage of student taking AP tests. Any ideas why besides TJ, only Langley High get into the top 100 among all high schools in the DC Metro area? And why none of the Arlington schools and Montgamory schools are included?

[Anonymous]

It sounds like the Langley kids are actually passing.

[Anonymous]

23:23 - McLean and Woodson were both in the US News top 100 the prior year. I believe they didn't make the cut this most recent year because the test scores of the minority students at those schools were considered too low under the US News model, relative to the scores of the other students.

[Anonymous]

It is rather surprising that none of the montgamory and arlington high schools are on the list.

[Anonymous]

PP are right. The Newsweek-Washington Post Challenge Index developed by Jay Matthews is a joke. Kids at Arlington's HB Woodlawn all sign up for the AP tests but many just write their name on the test booklet and go to sleep or leave. HB doesn't make the cut when you look at actual results. No serious educators rely on Matthews' Challenge Index. Neither should the Post or Newsweek. What counts is how students actually do on AP tests.