Centreville High No. 18 on DC-Area Challenge Index

Centreville High School climbed back up among other Fairfax County schools on the 2013 Washington Post Challenge Index of Washington area schools.

Centreville ranked 18th among D.C. area high schools this year, compared to its No. 41 spot last year. Westfield High School ranked no. 54, falling from its spot at no. 42 last year. 

George Mason High School in Falls Church, part of the city's school system, was the highest-ranking school in the Fairfax County area at No. 9.

To see the full list, click here.

Since 1998, education reporter Jay Mathews has ranked Washington-area public high schools using the Challenge Index, his measure of how effectively a school prepares its students for college.  

The formula: Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave by the number of graduating seniors.

Also noted are the percentage of students who come from families that qualify for free and reduced lunch (Subs. lunch), an indicator of poverty, and the percentage of graduates who passed at least one college-level test during their high school career, called equity and excellence, (E&E).

More than 170 public and private schools are on the local list; 1,900 are included nationally.

The index is not a measure of the overall quality of the school, but the rating can reveal the level of preparing average students for college, Matthews says.

On the national list, Centreville was No. 145, up from No. 332 in 2012.

On the state list, Centreville ranked No. 8 among all Virginia schools.

To see the entire list, click here.

What do you think of the rankings? Is your child taking full advantage of the higher-level course work?