Washington Post Report: The 30 'Most Challenging Schools' in Wisconsin

WISCONSIN — Many students can skate by in high school with good enough grades when they choose less-challenging courses.

But, more challenging courses, such as Advanced Placement classes, are what really help teens grow and learn and even earn college credits. With that in mind, the Washington Post recently released its 2017 list of the Most Challenging High Schools in the U.S.

Several Wisconsin Patch-area schools made this year's list, and Rufus King International High School in Milwaukee was ranked as the most challenging in the state. The school ranked as 374th most challenging nationally.

The Washington Post ranks schools through an index formula that’s a simple ratio: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year, according to the Washington Post. A ratio of 1.000 means the school had as many tests as graduates.

College Prep of America received a score of 7.846 as part of the Washington Post's index formula. The school offers 12 different AP courses and students, on average, receive an ACT score of 27.

High School of Health Sciences in Wales was ranked second in the state on the Washington Post's most challenging list and the Milwaukee School of Languages was third.

Here is a look at the top 30 most challenging schools in Wisconsin:

1. Rufus King International High School - Milwaukee
2. High School of Health Sciences - Wales
3. Milwaukee School of Languages - Milwaukee
4. Oconomowoc High School - Oconomowoc
5. New Berlin West - New Berlin
6. Homestead - Mequon
7. Marshfield High School - Marshfield
8. Memorial - Eau Claire
9. Brookfield East - Brookfield
10. Hudson - Hudson
11. Arrowhead High School - Hartland
12. Brookfield Central High School - Brookfield
13. Carmen High School of Science and Technology - Milwaukee
14. Kimberly - Kimberly
15. Kohler High School - Kohler
16. West Bend West - West Bend
17. Nathan Hale - West Allis
18. Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School - Milwaukee
19. Mukwonago - Mukwonago
20. West Bend East - West Bend
21. Westosha Central - Salem
22. Alexander Hamilton - Milwaukee
23. Oak Creek - Oak Creek
24. Green Lake - Green Lake
25. Kettle Moraine High School - Wales
26. Hamilton - Sussex
27. Milwaukee High School of the Arts - Milwaukee
28. George S. Parker High School - Janesville
29. Bay Port High School - Green Bay
30. Wausau West - Wausau

See the full list here.

Photo via Shutterstock