is "academically acclaimed". Jason Spencer of the Houston Chronicle said that the current principal and formal principal said that Bellaire has "reputation for academic excellence" because, in the words of former principal Hilbert Bludau, "Parents felt ownership of that school." Cathy Mincberg, an HISD trustee, said in 1993 that "There isn't a private school in Houston that can beat Bellaire High School." As of 2008, each year the school has about thirty National Merit Scholars. In 2005 it had 40 National Merit Scholars. Of 3,400 students, 323 were AP Scholars in 2005. Colleges and universities which have accepted Bellaire high school graduates include all 2016-2017 U.S. News & World Report Top 10 Ranked National Universities, ranked: Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Chicago, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University as well as many more. As of 2008 Bellaire's yearbook, the Carillion, frequently wins high school yearbook awards. The school typically has the highest SAT scores in the district. Bludau said that some parents tried to use political connections to ensure that their children entered Bellaire. Out of over 20,000 high schools in the United States, the school ranked number 80th, 86th, 112th, 109th, and 100th in Newsweek's 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 lists of the top high schools in the United States, respectively. The Challenge Index ranks schools by the number of AP and IB tests taken by students at a school in 2002 divided by the number of graduating seniors. 323 students at Bellaire High School in the 2004–2005 academic year earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams. Bellaire also has a wide variety of music and fine arts programs. The Bellaire Theatre Department won 1st place at the state UIL One-Act Play Competition in 2004. Bellaire led the Houston Independent School District in number of National Merit Program Finalists. Athletics Bellaire's main athletic rival is Lamar High School. The school's baseball program won the Texas High School Baseball championship seven times with several former or current Major League Baseball players. Special programs Bellaire High School is denoted as a Magnet school for foreign languages, offering a wide array of languages taught from Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Japanese, Hebrew, Italian, and Latin. All languages are available at the