Penn High School recognized nationally as a top high school

Posted on April 22, 2016

In two recent rankings released Spring 2016—the Washington Post’s “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” and U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High Schools”—Penn High School ranks high for college and career readiness.

In Washington Post’s “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” ranking, Penn came in 16th for the state of Indiana and in the top 9% for the nation . The Washington Post ranking is determined by taking the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests given at a school each year and divide by the number of seniors who graduated in May or June. They call the formula the “Challenge Index.” Public schools that achieved a ratio of at least 1.00, meaning they had as many tests in 2015 as they had graduates, were put on the national list. On the 2016 list, just more than 10% of the approximately 22,000 U.S. public high schools managed to reach that standard and earn placement on the Washington Post ranking. Penn High School earned a 1.937 “Challenge Index.” Penn’s offering of 21 Advanced Placement classes and 97% graduation rate are just some of the reasons for Penn’s ranking.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Penn 21st in the state for college and career readiness. With a 46% student participation rate in Advanced Placement classes contributed to giving Penn a 33.2 College Readiness Index. Penn’s 22-1 student, teacher ratio along with the school’s high graduation rate earned Penn a “Silver” award on U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 national ranking.

Last Modified January 12, 2022