Press release—4 May 2006

IB World Schools make the top of the list

39 of the top 100 schools in America are IB World Schools

New York, NY, IB, 4 May 2006 - The International Baccalaureate, a non-profit educational organization with 624 IB World Schools in the United States, announces the publication of the latest list of "America's Best High Schools," based on the Challenge Index, in the current issue of Newsweek. IB World Schools are featured prominently on the list. According to the index, six out of the top 10 schools are IB World Schools:

Jefferson County, Irondale, AL (Index 9.914)
City Honors, Buffalo, NY (Index 8.140)
Stanton College Prep, Jacksonville, FL (Index 7.973)
Eastside High School, Gainesville, FL (Index 7.535)
Suncoast Community, Riviera Beach, FL (Index 7.532)
International Academy, Bloomfield Hills, MI (Index 6.127)

In addition to holding six spots out of the top 10, IB World Schools represent 39 of the top 100 public high schools in the United States. In 1998, education writer Jay Mathews of the Washington Post devised the index, which ranks public schools in the USA by taking the number of IB and AP exams offered at a school, divides them by the number of graduating seniors, and creates a ratio. (A school offering 500 IB exams in May 2004 with 250 graduating seniors has a ratio of 2.0.) A copy of the Newsweek article is available at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/

“The continuing prevalence of International Baccalaureate schools on the Challenge Index list is a wonderful affirmation of the superb teachers and students involved in the IB Diploma Programme," said Bradley Richardson, Regional Director for the IB North America office. "It's also inspiring to see how many schools on the list are serving diverse populations in urban settings. As research consistently demonstrates that a rigorous high school curriculum is vital to success in college and beyond, we see the growth in the number of schools that challenge students with IB and AP as a very encouraging sign. It is one of the things that is going right in American education."

For further information on IB North America, please visit: www.ibo.org/ibna/

Contact

Sandra Coyle
Email: sandra.coyle@ibo.org
Phone: +1 212-696-4464 x18
Fax: +1 212-481-9708