This week, the Washington Post released its list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools and U.S. News & World Report released its Best High Schools Rankings. The Washington Post ranked 32 charter high schools among the top 100 most challenging high schools and U.S. News ranked 34 charter high schools among the top 100 best high schools. These numbers are incredibly impressive, given that charter schools represent only 6 out of every 100 high schools in the country. Clearly, these charter high schools are excelling at one of the founding concepts of the charter school movement—innovation that leads to high quality.
BASIS charter schools topped both lists. Also, even though they have no admission requirements, BASIS in Arizona are listed among the Washington Post’s Top-performing schools with elite students. A high quality high school, such as those run by BASIS, prepares students to enter college with the skills to succeed. BASIS does this by offering a plethora of AP course options and electives in both STEM and liberal arts. BASIS reinvented the college counseling process by beginning it in grade 9 and, instead of helping students pick their “stretch” and “safety” colleges, they help their students pick colleges that best match their career or professional passions. And BASIS is expanding beyond Arizona. BASIS DC opened in 2012 and they have already received the highest quality ranking by the D.C. Public Charter School Board as a Tier 1 school. IDEA charter high schools are also in the top 100 of both lists, with four in the top twenty on the Washington Post’s rankings. At IDEA schools, students are introduced on their first day to the expectation that they will go to college. IDEA schools encourage all students to complete 11 AP courses before graduation so their students can better prepare them to handle college-level . Charter schools are playing a leading role in serving our nation’s students by providing high-quality high school experience that makes a college education possible. We are glad to see these schools recognized for a job well done.
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