Niche gives Woodlands Academy yet another A+ for educating girls

For the sixth year in a row, Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart gets the top grade for its faith-based education of young women.

In other recently released 2025 rankings by Niche, an independent research company, the Lake Forest school repeats as the #1 Best All-girls High School in Illinois for the eighth consecutive year. Woodlands Academy is also positioned as the best all-girls Catholic high school in Illinois — along with the overall grade of A+ received in this year’s report.

Niche, a website for researching K-12 schools, scored Woodlands Academy highly on various factors. These include SAT/ACT scores, student-teacher ratios, the quality of colleges students consider and reviews from students, alumni and parents. Statistical data used in the 2025 Niche rankings was obtained from sources including the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities. Because of this, Niche says its rankings differ from those of others that rely heavily on test scores and academic performance.

“We are so pleased to be recognized again this year as the best all-girls high school in Illinois,” said Head of School Susan Tyree Dempf, Ph.D. “Woodlands provides young women with an excellent education which prepares them for university study and beyond. Woodlands Academy students are educated in an environment focused on how girls learn. This, in combination with leadership opportunities, athletics and access to exceptional faculty, helps our students to reach their fullest potential.”

Dempf believes the benefits of an all-girls school do not come simply from separating girls from boys but from the ability of a girls' school to focus entirely on girls' education, development and well-being.

Woodlands Academy’s focus on educating young women to become well-rounded global citizens traces back to the original vision of Sacred Heart education formulated more than 200 years ago by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat in postrevolutionary France. Woodlands is a Catholic, independent, day-and-boarding, college-preparatory school for young women of all faiths in grades nine through 12. Founded in Chicago in 1858 and located in Lake Forest since 1904, Woodlands is part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries on six continents. To learn more, visit woodlandsacademy.org.