Spartanburg High School is the only school in Spartanburg County and one of only 11 public or private schools across South Carolina to be named to the annual list of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools.” The list, which first appeared in The Washington Post and Newsweek in 1998, was created by The Washington Post’s education columnist Jay Mathews. It includes 2,537 of America’s 22,000 high schools and places Spartanburg High School among the top 4% in South Carolina and the top 10% nationally.
The rankings are determined by the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and other advanced tests given at a high school divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. The list also includes the percentage of students who passed at least one of the advanced tests. It is the only ranking that compares public and private schools.
More information is available at Jay Mathews Challenge Index.