Northwest suburban schools among nation's best in STEM

A handful of Northwest suburban high schools have been named among the nation's best by Newsweek magazine when it comes to STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics - education.

Making the magazine's top 1,500 were Barrington High School, Buffalo Grove High School, Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Fremd High School in Palatine, Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Prospect High School in Mount Prospect and Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights.

The list was published, last month on, fittingly, National STEM Day. The results were calculated by analyzing data from 2015-2019 on the quality of STEM education and each school's ability to prepare students for postsecondary outcomes.

State Rep. Mark Walker of Arlington Heights, whose 53rd District includes several of the high schools honored, recently visited Hersey to congratulate them on the recognition.

"Our area schools have a long-standing tradition of excellence," Walker said in a statement released after his visit.