Newsweek honors top DuPage schools

Two Indian Prairie Unit District 204 high schools rank in the top 6 percent of public high schools in the country based on a measurement of college placement tests conducted by Newsweek magazine.

Newsweek's annual ranking of public high schools put Neuqua Valley in Naperville at 897 on the list and Waubonsie Valley in Aurora at 1,191 among the 1,622 schools that made the grade.

The score is based on a ratio devised by a Washington Post education reporter. It takes the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school, divided by the number of graduating seniors.

This is the sixth time Neuqua Valley has made the list and the fourth year in a row for Waubonsie Valley.

Indian Prairie offers 24 Advanced Placement courses that provide the opportunity for students to tackle college-level academics. Across the district, more than 3,050 AP tests were taken in 2009.

"This ranking really has more to do with how many kids have taken advantage of the opportunity to challenge themselves academically," Indian Prairie Superintendent Kathryn Birkett said. "I believe college level courses are great preparation for what our students will be doing when they leave, so I'm very pleased to see over 3,000 of those tests taken."

Other area schools ranked in the top 6 percent include Glenbard West (900), Naperville Central (1,192), Naperville North (1,251), Wheaton North (1,264), Glenbard East (1,305), Glenbard South (1,349), Addison Trail (1,402), Willowbrook High School (1,504) and Lake Park (1,568).