Schools

Five Carroll County Schools Mentioned in High School Challenge Rankings

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for Carroll County Public Schools Steven Johnson said he takes this ranking index seriously.

Carroll County Public Schools, including three in the Eldersburg and Sykesville areas, are among the top-ranked schools in the nation, according to the High School Challenge rankings, released Friday by The Washington Post.

Here’s how the local high schools measured up:

- Century High School ranks No. 1,267 out of 1,900 nationally ranked schools.

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- Liberty High School ranks No. 1,266 out of 1,900 nationally ranked schools. 

- Out of 170 D.C.-area schools, South Carroll High School ranks No. 151, Winters Mill High School ranks No. 153, and Westminster High School ranks No. 156.

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- Liberty High School ranks No. 75 in the state and Century ranks No. 76.

Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews came up with the Challenge Index 14 years ago to rank high schools on their ability to prepare students for college.

The ranking formula divides the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2010 by the number of graduating seniors, according to the press release.

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for Carroll County Public Schools Steven Johnson told Patch that Carroll County High Schools began participating in the Washington Post Challenge Index several years ago.

"We believe it is one indicator of a rigorous high school program," Johnson said.

 According to Johnson, each of the county's high schools attempts to increase the numbers of students that enroll in rigorous courses each year. 

"Since a score of 1.00 is only achieved by 7 percent of all high schools across the nation, we believe that our results indicate that Carroll County provides a rigorous high school program and is doing well in preparing our students for success in their post-secondary choices," Johnson said. 

Both Century and Liberty achieved a score greater than 1.00. 


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