9 suburban high schools make list of Top 50 in the nation
Ten Illinois schools are among a list of the Top 50 public schools in the nation.
Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire leads those within the Daily Herald coverage area at No. 9 nationally, according to a compilation by 247wallst.com.
"We are thrilled to be recognized among the 50 best public schools in Illinois. This honor belongs to our faculty, who are relentless in maintaining our culture of continuous improvement," said Eric Twadell, superintendent of Stevenson High School District 125.
"This recognition is also a reflection of our students, who demonstrate their collective commitment to their learning and growth every day in their classrooms and co-curricular activities," Twadell added.
University of Illinois High School in Urbana tops the list of Illinois public high schools, No. 3 overall.
The other Illinois high schools, all located in the suburbs, in the Top 50 are: No. 25 Hinsdale Central, No. 29 Glenbrook South, No. 30 Neuqua Valley, No. 31 Glenbrook North, No. 34 Fremd, No. 42 Vernon Hills, No. 43 New Trier, and No. 45, Lake Forest.
"This latest ranking that places our schools in the Top 50 in the nation is a testament to the continued dedication and commitment of our teachers and the desire of our students to learn and excel," said Charles Johns, superintendent at Glenbrook High School District 225, which represents Glenbrook South and Glenbrook North.
The top school according to the 247wallst.com list is North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, North Carolina.
"This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, and staff," said Denise Herrmann, superintendent of Libertyville-Vernon Hills High School District 128.
The website compiled data using information from the Niche education research platform. Niche ranked schools based on seven measures including standardized test scores, parent and student surveys, extracurricular activities and teacher quality.
The information listed for each school includes graduation rates, ACT and SAT scores and the percentage of students enrolled in Advanced Placement classes.
For example, Stevenson graduates 97% of its students with an average SAT score of 1360 out of 1600 and an average ACT score of 31 out of 36. Also, 51% of Stevenson's students are enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement class, according to 247wallst.com.
In a similar 247wallst.com listing of the Top 50 private schools in the U.S., only one is in Illinois: the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools at No. 49.
"This honor further supports the tradition that Hinsdale Central students and staff 'bring their fire' to everything they do," said Hinsdale Central Principal William Walsh. "We appreciate the recognition, but more importantly we love what we do, which is teaching and learning."