Lakeside 13th in Georgia in Recent Washington Post Ranking

landed at No. 13 in Georgia in a recent Washington Post ranking of high schools.

Nearby, however, the DeKalb School of the Arts in Avondale Estates came in at No. 2. Chamblee Charter (No. 12) and Decatur (No. 9) high schools were the only other DeKalb schools to crack the top 20.

But before you try to transfer your child, it's pretty important to know how these rankings–which have been the subject of some controversy–are achieved.

It's pretty simple. The Post takes the number of AP, IB and AICE tests taken by the graduating class and divides that by the total number of graduating seniors. It's called a "challenge index," which means it's merely ranking how much students are exposed to college preparatory classes and testing. It's got very little to do (directly) with student performance.

But any ranking of schools no matter the factors is a pretty suspect process. Not all AP or IB programs are equal. There's a wide range of quality, and the effectiveness of those programs is usually determined by the quality of teacher and principal, not the program itself.

Regardless, rankings can be pretty interesting.

You can access the full list, including the national rankings, here.

CORRECTION: This story incorrectly said the DeKalb School of the Arts and Lakeside and Decatur high schools were the only DeKalb County schools to make the Post's top 20 Georgia high schools. It did not include Chamblee Charter High School. That error has been corrected.