North Hills Ranked in Top 9 Percent of Nation's Most Challenging High Schools

North Hills High School is one of only six schools in Allegheny County and 28 schools in Pennsylvania to be ranked in the Washington Post’s America’s Most Challenging High Schools listing.

North Hills ranked 27 of the 28 Pennsylvania schools on the list. 

Other Allegheny Schools on the list include:

6. Pine-Richland
9. South Fayette
11. Quaker-Valley
17. North Allegheny
18. Hampton

Rankings are based on the Challenge Index, which calculates participation in Advanced Placement (AP) exams in order to evaluate the rigor of high school curriculums across the nation. This year’s Challenge Index is calculated by dividing the total number of AP tests taken in May 2012 by the number of 2012 graduating seniors. North Hills’ Challenge Index is 1.057.

All schools on the listing have earned an index of at least a 1.0. This year, only 9 percent of the approximately 22,000 U.S. public high schools reached that standard. While not a measure of the overall quality of the school, the rating provides an indication of the high school’s commitment to preparing average students for college. 

During the 2012-13 school year, North Hills High School offered 30 college-level AP courses including five online classes – among the highest number in the country.

“AP, IB and AICE are important because they give average students a chance to experience the trauma of heavy college reading lists and long, analytical college examinations. Research has found that even low-performing students who got only a 2 on an AP test did significantly better in college than similar students who did not take AP,” according to Jay Mathews, the Washington Post education reporter who devised the Challenge Index.

In May 2012, 203 North Hills students took 388 AP exams and 80.3 percent scored 3 or higher, qualifying for college credit and setting a record high for the district. A total of 69 North Hills High School students were named AP Scholars following their outstanding performance on the exams.

All students enrolled in Art 2D, Art 3D, Calculus BC, English Literature, Psychology and World History scored 3 or higher on the course’s AP exam earning college credit for their future.

The 2006-07 school year marked the first year that all North Hills students enrolled in an AP course were required to complete the exam. All exam costs are covered by the North Hills School District.

“Districts who spend money to increase the likelihood that their students take AP or IB tests are adding value to the education of their students. Taking the test is good. It gives students a necessary taste of what college demands,” said Matthews.

The ranking formerly was sponsored by Newsweek magazine and known as America’s Best High Schools. 

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