CHS was ranked number three on The Washington Post’s Most Challenging High Schools in the D.C. Area list, following Washington International, a private school, and Poolesville High School, located in MCPS. Nationally, the Washington Post ranked CHS number 88. This ranking is good for the student body, right? Right.

CHS students are fortunate to go to a high school that falls on this prestigious list; most students in the county and country would be lucky to get the opportunity to go to a school that
pushes its students, has incredibly high success rates, and prepares students for the rest of their lives.

According to head of counseling Robin Moore, the rigor at CHS comes from the extensive AP courses the school offers and the drive of students to take those demanding classes. However, CHS isn’t necessarily ranked for the actual scores we receive on those tests.

According to an April 17 Washington Post article, schools are placed on the list based on the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests given at a school during the year, and by the percentage of graduating seniors. Though stress-levels may be high for CHS students, these four years pay off in the success by our students.

According to the rankings list, CHS has a four-year graduation rate of 99 percent. This is considerably higher than the average high school graduation rate, 81.4 percent, of American high schoolers, according to the 2015 Building a Grad Nation report. Many CHS students apply to Ivy League schools, and due to their low acceptance rates, it is quite a feat to be accepted by even one.

Just last year, CHS sent 19 students to Ivy League schools, a large amount, especially for
a public school. However, going to an Ivy isn’t the only way students can display their success. Everyone goes to a college that is the right fit for them, whether that school be Harvard or another, potentially lesser known university.

College shouldn’t just be about the name of the school, and students thinking that they should go to the top school they can possibly get into is not the right mindset. CHS’ top-tier college acceptance comes partially from the fact that colleges look at CHS students, knowing that students they choose for admittance are ready for college and will do well.

According to Moore, CHS students talk each other up and fall into a competitive mindset when it comes to grades and choosing levels of a class. However, competition is a good thing. The world is full of competition, from getting into college to getting a job. Feeling challenged by peers pushes students to do better than what they thought was their best work.

According to the MCPS website, the average CHS student SAT score in 2015 was 1838 (out of 2400), compared to a county average of 1650 and to a national average of 1497. With such high scores, CHS students are put in the best positions for colleges to look at them.

Besides its scores, the rigor of CHS prepares students for what’s to come, specifically in college.

According to Moore, some students in college report back to her saying that while many around them are working hard, college is not nearly as hard as CHS.

Students of CHS set high goals for themselves. Not only are they smart and have a strong education foundation, but their goal-oriented mindset makes all the difference in the long run. It doesn’t hurt that teachers, parents and peers expect the same, adding positive peer pressure to the equation. Grading with high expectations comes with the expectation that students are able to reach them. The fact of the matter is that students at CHS prioritize their education.

Many would argue that our high placement on the list strongly correlates to the high stress levels, but perhaps think of it this way: CHS is a feast. There’s an entire array of food laid out on the table, just like
the classes we offer. There is a diverse selection, because not everyone has the same taste. Everyone has a different appetite. Some can handle more food, others become stuffed after one serving.

The same goes for high school. Not everyone needs to fill their plate and go back for seconds. The goal is not to eat as much as you can; moderation and balance is key. The Most Challenging List should be a sense of pride for students. When students graduate from CHS, they know that they are coming out of high school prepared for college. This should, in fact, lower the stress for college because the fast-pace feel of high school could turn out to be more rigorous than college.

If they choose to, every student at CHS will go to college. They will succeed wherever they go, whether it be an Ivy, which is some students’ cup of tea, or any other college or university, which other students have more of a taste for.

You know how much food you want. Don’t overstuff yourself and don’t under eat.