Illinois' Best Public High Schools: 2022 Rankings Released

ILLINOIS — Niche.com just released its 2022 rankings of the best public high schools in the country, and Illinois is well represented among the top.

Niche's 2022 rankings factored in academic and student life data from thousands of schools across the country. The most important factor was academics, but Niche also looked at culture and diversity, teachers, clubs and activities, sports, and more. You can read more about Niche's methodology here.

The top-ranked public high school in the country was The Davidson Academy, located in Reno, Nevada. The best public high school in Illinois was Payton College Prep in Chicago, which was ranked No. 6 nationally, followed by Northside College Prep, which came in at No. 7.

There were 12 Illinois public schools that made it into the top 100 best schools in the nation. Many more were listed among the best in Illinois. Here are the top 50 schools in the state as ranked by Niche:

1. Payton College Prep, Chicago (6th nationally)

2. Northside College Prep, Chicago (7th)

3. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora (13th)

4. Adlai E. Stevenson (18th)

5. Whitney Young Magnet High School, Chicago (23rd)

6. Jones College Prep, Chicago (41st)

7. Glenbrook North High School (48th)

8. Hinsdale Central High School (60th)

9. New Trier Township High School (61st)

10. Glenbrook South High School (63rd)

11. Vernon Hills High School (83rd)

12. Neuqua Valley High School (91st)

13. Lake Forest High School

14. William Fremd High School

15. University of Illinois High School

16. Lane Tech College Prep High School

17. Deerfield High School

18. Highland Park High School

19. Glenbard West High School

20. Metea Valley High School

21. James B. Conant High School

22. Naperville Central High School

23. Naperville North High School

24. Evanston Township High School

25. Libertyville High School

26. Barrington High School

27. John Hersey High School

28. Prospect High School

29. Waubonsie High School

30. University High School

31. Lyons Township High School

32. Niles North High School

33. Niles West High School

34. York Community High School

35. Buffalo Grove High School

36. Oak Park and River Forest High School

37. Rolling Meadows High School

38. Wheaton Warrenville South High School

39. Maine South High School

40. Lemont Township High School

41. Carl Sandburg High School

42. Hoffman Estates High School

43. ITW David Speer Academy

44. Lincoln-Way East High School

45. Wheaton North High School

46. Grayslake Central High School

47. Schaumburg High School

48. Prairie Ridge High School

49. Lake Zurich High School

50. Cary-Grove Community Schools

You can see the full list of the best high schools in the country by clicking here.