5 IL High Schools Rank In Top 100 Of U.S. News 2024 ‘Best’ Ranking

Students scoring exceptionally high on math, reading and science assessments were major factors in determining the rankings.

ILLINOIS — Dozens of public high schools in Illinois are among the best in the country, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

In the 2024 Best High Schools list, Illinois ranks 24th among U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Among the 673 of ranked schools, 37 are in the top 5 percent nationally, 159 were in the top 25 percent.

Payton College Preparatory High School was the highest ranked Illinois school in the nation, as the Chicago school was No. 5 on the national list.

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Here are the top 25 public high schools in Illinois, according to U.S. News & World Report (national ranking in parentheses):

1. Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago Public Schools (ranked No. 5 nationally)
2. Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago Public Schools (35)
3. Young Magnet High School, Chicago Public Schools (52)
4. Jones College Prep High School, Chicago Public Schools (53)
5. Lane Technical High School, Chicago Public Schools (60)
6. Adlai E Stevenson High School, Adlai E Stevenson High School District 125 (194)
7. Brooks College Prep Academy High School, Chicago Public Schools (305)
8. Vernon Hills High School, Community High School District 128 (309)
9. Hancock College Preparatory High School, Chicago Public School (327)
10. New Trier Township High School, New Trier Township High School District 203 (348)
11. Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale Township High School District 86 (350)
12. Libertyville High School, Community High School District 128 (351)
13. William Fremd High School, Township High School District 211 (365)
14. Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest Community High School District 115 (374)
15. Neuqua Valley High School, Indian Prairie Community Unified School District 204 (396)
16. Deerfield High School, Township High School District 113 (428)
17. John Hersey High School, Township High School District 214 (450)
18. University High School, Isu Laboratory Schools (451)
19. Glenbrook North High School, Glenbrook High School District 225 (464)
20. Barrington High School, Barrington Community Unified School District 220 (467)
21. Glenbrook South High School, Glenbrook High School District 225 (474)
22. Prospect High School, Township High School District 214 (507)
23. Maine South High School, Maine Township High School District 207 (537)
24. Glenbard West High School, Glenbard Township High School District 87 (541)
25. Naperville North High School, Naperville Community Unified School District 203 (638)

State-by-state performance is based solely on which states have the largest proportion of schools in the top 25 percent. Massachusetts once again leads in the ranking, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida, respectively.

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The top high schools have students who score exceptionally high on math, reading and science assessments, as well strong performance among under-served students. High school graduation rates and college readiness among graduates are also measured.

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