“Never has high school had to do so much for so many,” states Newsweek magazine in its May 16 issue.

While this may be news to some, it certainly is not news to Lindbergh School Dis-trict elementary and middle school teachers who work to prepare students for high school, a district news release stated. Nor is it news to the 128 teachers at Lindbergh High School who work with the district’s 1,863 ninth- through 12th-graders.

The success of the high school was reaffirmed by Newsweek when Lindbergh High School was listed as one of the best high schools in America.

Lindbergh ranked 903 on the list after being judged on a Challenge Index, comparing the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams with senior enrollment. Newsweek uses this stan-dard because it is a good measure of a high school’s success at challenging all students to perform at a high level.

“AP and IB are the most effective ways to take a demanding curriculum to the widest range of students,” the article states. “Some AP and IB courses appear to be better than the college courses they substitute for.”

At Lindbergh High School, being listed as one of the best high schools in America is “a real tribute to our students who are willing to challenge themselves and to their teachers who encourage them to do so,” Irv Mueller, honors coordinator, stated in the news release.

Mueller explained that the Newsweek article is based on 2004 data when Lindbergh students took 484 AP and IB exams. He smiled when he added, “This year we will have students taking 620 AP and IB exams.”

At a time when students across the country are sometimes criticized for taking an easy course during their four years of high school, Lindbergh students continue to challenge themselves by taking advanced classes. A large number of students took IB and AP tests last year, and nine Lindbergh High School students received IB diplomas and 28 received AP Scholar Awards.

“Studies by the Department of Education and a number of universities confirm that IB/AP classes taken in high school definitely help students succeed in college and graduate on time,” Mueller stated.

“With the national dropout rate for college at 50 percent, this could be one of the most decisive factors in helping students get their college degree. Parents can also save thousands of dollars in college tuition costs when their student scores well enough on these exams to earn college credit or placement,” he added.