'Washington Post': Ellicott City High Schools Prepare More Students for College

Two Ellicott City high schools are leading the way when it comes to preparing students for college, according to The Washington Post.

and High Schools made it to the Post’s High School Challenge Index, a list that aims to quantify how well a school prepares all students, not just the top tier, for school after graduation. 

When he began looking at the statistics, Post columnist Jay Mathews said public schools were not letting “average students” take college-level tests. “Research and common sense suggested that C students would learn much and be readier for college if they also took [Advance Placement courses], but few schools appreciated that,” he said.

And so, Mathews wrote in an article explaining how and why he tallies these rankings, 13 years ago, he began aggregating information on certain college-level tests: the AP exam, the International Baccalaureate and, later, the Advanced International Certificate of Education.

The number of students who take the test divided by the number of graduation seniors results in the High School Challenge Index score. Mathews said he believes “every school should reach a ratio of at least 1.0—that is, as many college-level tests taken as diplomas issued.”

In Ellicott City, Centennial High School’s index is 2.766, putting it in 52^nd place among high schools in the D.C. Metro region. Last year Centennial came in at 48, with a ratio of 3.047.

Howard High School is 88^th on the list with an index of 1.984, up from its spot last year at 122 with a ratio of 1.494.

Marriotts Ridge High School in Marriottsville came in at number 87 with an index of 2.013.

did not make the list.

The complete list of D.C. area schools can be found online, and, for the first year, the Washington Post has also published a national High School Challenge Index, which can be found here.