By Sara Kaplow (May 28, 2003)

George Mason was recognized as the sixth best public high school in Newsweek Magazine’s "The 100 Best High Schools in America" which hit newsstands on Thursday. This was a four-place drop from Mason’s previously held second place position, despite an increase in the ratio that determines the placement. 

Despite the slight drop, Mason principal Bob Snee is "pleased and proud" of the results, because it demonstrates that Mason students "are willing to take the most challenging classes available," Snee told Lasso Online. He noted, however, that despite the large numbers of students taking exams at the schools listed, the rankings do not reflect test scores.

Mason’s high ranking, which has been in the top five schools locally and nationally each year since the challenge index developed by Washington Post education writer Jay Mathews has been in existence, is due to the large number of students who take International Baccalaureate exams at the school. 

Snee also expressed appreciation for the good that writer Jay Mathew’s survey has done for the education world. For example, the rankings encourage schools who offer AP classes to strongly suggest that students take the final exams in those classes, so that their "ratio" will be higher. Before the annual ranking was established, some schools would encourage only the best students in those classes to take the tests, in order to boost the test score average. The challenge index forces schools to "recognize that students should be taking these tests," said Snee.

While the list is described as a ranking of public high schools, a number on the list are magnet schools, meaning they pull students specifically for certain programs. Certain schools, such as the top-ranking International Academy in Michigan, are specifically for IB diploma students. However at Mason, students are not required to take classes, but instead, according to Snee, "they embrace the more difficult classes." 

The numerical score, called the ratio or index, is determined by dividing the number of graduating seniors by the number of advanced tests (AP, IB) taken by the graduates at the school. Matthews, who devised the system, recognizes schools with a rating above one as doing a good job as far as test-taking goes. Mason scored a 4.356, far exceeding the 100^th ranked school, which scored a 2.338. Snee expects a slight drop in the ratio next year, which could affect the overall placement of the school. 

For the complete list of schools, pick up a copy of Newsweek Magazine or visit Newsweek.MSNBC.com.