Century High School makes “most challenging” list

Century High School is one of just nine schools in Idaho and the only one in eastern Idaho to make the Washington Post’s list of most challenging high schools in 2015.

Students and staff say the school lives up to its reputation.

“It is very much a challenge. It’s very hard,” said Madison Morton, a Century High School junior.

School leaders say Century’s high SAT scores and strong tradition of college-level AP classes make it more challenging than other schools in the area.

“There’s a very rigorous curriculum. You have a lot of homework and a lot of out-of-school work,” said student McKinzy Morton.

But Ian Stites said Century’s recent ranking wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and hands-on approach of Century’s teachers.

“They put out a lot of effort to make us work for our grades,” said Stites.

National recognition is nothing new for Century. It frequently ranks on Newsweek’s list of America’s best high schools. But Century’s principal, Sheryl Brockett, said any recognition is a good thing.

“Recognition on a national list really just kind of proves that point. It’s an outside agency verifying that we’re good at what we do,” said Brockett.

Schools were ranked by taking the number of college-level courses administered during the previous school year and dividing that by the number of graduates.

Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy ranked as Idaho’s most challenging high school.