Based on their abilities to teach students math and reading skills and prepare them for college, U.S News & World Report analyzed nearly 30,000 high schools in the country, awarding gold and silver medals for the best. In the 2015 rankings, 177 Illinois high schools ranked among the best in the country.
The publication awarded each school's student body a college readiness score out of 100, designed to measure how well-prepared students are to move on to a university or college setting after graduation. The rest of the ranking is based on the reading and math proficiency of the students, their standardized test scores, student-teacher ratios and overall student performance. The rankings also broke down achievement between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students.
The highest-rated school in the country is the School for the Gifted and Talented in Dallas, Texas. The college readiness score at that high school is 100, the math proficiency score is 3.7 and the reading proficiency score is 3.8.
Of the 177 nationally ranked high schools in Illinois, 86 were named the best in the state, out of a total of 677 high schools in Illinois. Here are the top 10 public high schools in Illinois as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
10. Lincoln Park High School, Chicago
- National rank: 363
9. Prospect High School, Mount Prospect
- National rank: 327
8. Highland Park High School, Highland Park
- National rank: 313
7. Deerfield High School, Deerfield
- National rank: 246
6. Lane Technical High School, Chicago
- National rank: 217
Check out Reboot Illinois to see the five best high schools in Illinois and where they ranked on the national list.
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