Bellevue Schools Get High Marks in Washington Post, Newsweek High School Rankings

Bellevue School District's high schools scored well on national lists this year, with five schools finishing among the top 100 schools in the nation according to the Washington Post Challenge Index, and four high schools scoring in the top 200 of Newsweek's list of "America's Best High Schools."

The lists, released over the weekend, follow the recent .

The three lists all depend in part on the number of advanced subject tests taken by students at the schools, as well as other variables. The tests can be either Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate.

According to the Bellevue School District, approximately 60 percent of all Bellevue high school students are enrolled in one or more Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate class.

In the Washington Post index, International School came in at number 40 of 1,900 public high schools nationwide, making it the highest ranked Washington school. Interlake High School, Newport High School, Bellevue High School and Sammamish High School also scored in the top 100, according to the list. They were also the top-ranked schools in the state, according to the list.

The Washington Post's Challenge Index is based on dividing 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 Post. The Post noted that while the index is "not a measure of the overall quality of the school, the rating can reveal the level of a high school’s commitment to preparing average students for college."

Washington Post 2012 Challenge Index Rankings

School

National Ranking

State Ranking

Index Score

40

1

6.954

47

2

6.358

83

3

5.335

93

4

5.069

100

5

4.926

In Newsweek, four Bellevue high schools ranked among the top 200 in a list of the top 1,000 public schools in the nation. According to Newsweek, the list is based on six components provided by school administrators: graduation rate (25 percent), college matriculation rate (25 percent), AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student (25 percent), average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP/IB/AICE scores (10 percent), and AP courses offered  per student(5 percent).

International School was once again the most highly ranked school in Washington, ranking 24th in the nation.

Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools 2012

School

National Ranking

Newsweek Score

International School

24

1.59

Newport High School

105

0.99

Interlake High School

114

0.94

Bellevue High School

165

0.81

-- Charts provided by the

On the Web

Newsweek's "America’s Best High Schools 2012"

Washington Post "The High School Challenge"