Six Hawaii high schools have earned spots on a list of the nation’s most challenging public secondary schools.

Kaiser, Kalani, Mililani, Campbell and Kalaheo high schools on Oahu and King Kekaulike on Maui made the cut this year, along with 1,900 other schools representing the top 9 percent of U.S. public high schools.

The rankings are "designed to identify schools that have done the best job in persuading average students to take college-level courses and tests," according to Jay Mathews, a Washington Post education columnist who has compiled the so-called Challenge Index since 1998. The list, which previously rated only D.C.-area public high schools, was expanded in 2011 to include schools across the country.

The same Hawaii schools, except for Kaiser, made last year’s list.

"There are great things happening in our schools and the (report) is one of many data points that validates our belief," said state schools Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe.

"It is a nice validation," said King Kekaulike Principal Susan Scofield. "It’s not strategic, or something we purposefully do. It’s more, ‘Wow, I’m glad we’re on track.’"

The methodology is sometimes criticized for looking only at test participation rates versus passing grades and test scores. It looks exclusively at the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and other college-level tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. A ratio of 1.000 means the school gave as many tests as it has graduating seniors — the minimum ratio for getting on the list.

Using 2012 data, the highest-ranked school is an Oakland charter with a ratio of 23.5. Kaiser debuted on the list with a 1.575 ratio, ranking the highest among the Hawaii schools.

Several dozen Kaiser seniors will far exceed that ratio this year, as 64 students in the school’s optional International Baccalaureate program each take six tests.

Both Kaiser and Campbell offer their students the prestigious International Baccalaureate curriculum program.

Kaiser Principal John Sosa said despite the controversy over the list’s methodology, the ranking highlights the school’s efforts to foster a challenging learning environment. He said that more than 60 percent of the school’s 1,185 students are taking Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses.

"There’s no question that from our vision of what we’re trying to accomplish here, we want our students taking more challenging coursework," Sosa said. "Our bottom line is that we want to provide a rigorous curriculum that will prepare them for what they want to do in the future. We’re not perfect, we have a long way to go, but that is our focus."

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