Bob Jones makes ‘America’s best high schools’ list

The Washington Post has released its list of America’s best high schools, and Bob Jones High School made the list.

Bob Jones placed 1081 out of 1905 on the Post’s “High School Challenge,” which listed the top 1,900 public high schools in the nation.

“Anytime we’re recognized, whether it be statewide or nationally, it’s a great honor,” said Bob Jones High School Principal Robby Parker. “It’s a complete reflection on our students and teaching staff. I know we’ve got some of the best kids in the state of Alabama and we can compete with other students nationally.”

Since 1998, The Post’s Jay Mathews has ranked Washington-area public high schools using the Challenge Index, his measure of how effectively a school prepares its students for college.

In 2011, the Post expanded its research to high schools across the United States.

The list was compiled by taking the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2010 by the number of graduating seniors. Rankings note the percentage of a school’s students whose family incomes are low enough to qualify for federally subsidized lunches and who also apply for that program. The portion of subsidized-lunch applicants is a rough indicator of a school’s poverty level.

While 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.