Four Fairfax County public schools made the list of top 100 schools published in Newsweek, based on a formula devised by Washington Post education reporter Jay Mathews. In the top 100 are Langley High School at 55; Woodson High School, ranked 73rd; Lake Braddock Secondary School, ranked 93rd; and McLean High School at 97. 

Rankings for other Fairfax County Public Schools are: Oakton High School, 103; Centreville High School, 104; Chantilly High School, 122; South County Secondary School, 139; Herndon High School, 141; Westfield High School, 144; Madison High School, 148; Robinson Secondary School, 214; West Potomac High School, 216; West Springfield High School, 244; Marshall High School, 248; Fairfax High School, 252; Stuart High School, 322; Falls Church High School, 383; South Lakes High School, 515; Edison High School, 746; Lee High School, 791; Hayfield Secondary School, 796, Mount Vernon High School, 855; and Annandale High School, 938.

The Challenge Index measures public high schools’ ability to challenge their students. A school’s ranking is determined by dividing the number of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Cambridge tests given by a school to all its students by the number of seniors who graduated in May or June. The index is designed to identify schools that challenge average students. (Note: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which serves students across the region, was not included in the list because of its selective admissions process.)