The Washington Post has released its annual list of the top public high schools in the country, and once again Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) is well represented. Ten of the division's high schools rank among the top 9 percent, according to the High School Challenge index. The chart below shows the VBCPS schools appearing on the list and their ranking among the nation's top 1,900 high schools.

The High School Challenge used a ratio - the number of Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by students at individual schools during the 2010-2011 school year divided by the school's total number of graduates - to compare schools. Researchers for the newspaper maintain this formula is an adequate measure of student readiness for college.

In addition to its inclusion on The Washington Post list, Princess Anne High School is also ranked at 369 among the top 500 public schools by U.S. News on its Best High Schools list. The magazine worked with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research to evaluate state test data and student participation in AP or IB testing to develop its list.

Information related to VBCPS testing data and the division's key indicators for student success are available on the school division website, vbschools.com.

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Department of Media and Communications Development, vbcpsweb@vbschools.com