D.C.-Area Schools: How Does T.C. Williams Stack Up?

T.C. Williams High School is ranked 74th among 176 Washington-area high schools on an annual "Challenge Index," according to Washington Post education reporter Jay Mathews.

Alexandria's public high school ranked higher in Virginia than it did among regional counterparts: T.C. Williams was ranked 44th when compared to 100 other high schools in Virginia.

On the national list, T.C. Williams was ranked 634 out of 1,925 ranked high schools.

To see the full list, click here.

Since 1998, 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 (subsidized 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; 1,925 are included nationally. Many magnet schools, like Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, are not included in the rankings.

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.

The highest ranked high school in Virginia is H.B. Woodlawn High School in Arlington. In the D.C. area, the No. 1 high school is St. Anselm's Abbey, a private school in Washington, according to the Challenge Index. 

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