This past week, North Hills High School was found to be 1 of only 33 high schools in Pennsylvania to be ranked on The Washington Post’s “Most Challenging High Schools” listing.

The Washington Post created this ranking information based on the Challenge Index, which calculates the amount of participation in AP classes and the scores on the AP exams. This information helps to evaluate the rigor of high school curriculums across the country. The Challenge Index is calculated by dividing the total number of AP tests taken in May 2013 by the number of 2013 graduating seniors. North Hills’ Challenge Index is 1.317.

All of the schools on The Washington Post list have at least an index of 1.0. This year, only about 10 percent of the approximately 19,000 high schools across the entire country have reached this standard. The measure shows the dedication and commitment North Hills has to prepare its students for college.

During this school year, North Hills offered 28 AP courses as well as 4 online classes and 14 College in High School classes for college credit in partnership with local colleges and universities.

In May of last year, 235 students took 449 AP exams and 81.7 percent scored at least a 3 on the exam’s 5 -point scale. Sixty-five students were named AP Scholars and four students earned National AP Scholars recognition following their fantastic performance on the exams.