These Are The Top 25 Public High Schools In Illinois, New Rankings Say

ILLINOIS — Seven Illinois schools are among the best 50 public schools in America, according to new rankings from the education platform Niche.

A total of 12 Illinois public high schools finished in the Top 100 in the nation, according to Niche’s 2024 Best Schools and Districts rankings include data on 94,058 public schools, 30,809 private schools, and 12,192 school districts.

This year’s rankings include 7,375 newly ranked public schools. Below are the top 25 public high schools in Illinois, according to Niche:

1. Payton College Preparatory School Chicago (No.4 nationally)
2. Northside College Preparatory School Chicago (No. 8 nationally)
3. Illinois Math and Science Academy, Aurora (No. 10 nationally)
4. Whitney Young Magnet High School, Chicago (No. 16 nationally)
5. Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire (No. 29 nationally)
6. Jones College Prep High School, Chicago (No. 35 nationally)
7. Lane Tech College Prep High School, Chicago (No. 42 nationally)
8. New Trier Township High School, Winnetka (No. 79 nationally)
9. Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville (No. 80 nationally)
10. Glenbrook South High School, Northbrook (No. 81 nationally)
11. Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook (No. 85 nationally)
12. Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale (No. 92 nationally)
13. Vernon Hills High School, Vernon Hills (No. 110 nationally)
14. William Fremd High School, Palatine (No. 126 nationally)
15. Barrington High School, Barrington (No. 135 nationally)
16. James B. Conant High School, Hoffman Estates (No. 150 nationally)
17. Metea Valley High School, Aurora (No. 151 nationally)
18. Naperville North High School, Naperville (No. 175 nationally)
19. Glenbard West High School, Glen Ellyn (No. 176 nationally)
20. Deerfield High School, Deerfield (No. 189 nationally)
21. Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest (No. 191st nationally)
22. Naperville Central High School, Naperville (No. 195th nationally)
23. Evanston Township High School, Evanston (No. 197th nationally)
24. Highland Park High School (No. 198th nationally)
25. Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora (No. 251st nationally)

You can view the full rankings here.

Niche said its rankings, now in the ninth year, differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities.

The company said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.

As in previous years, the Best Schools rankings include categories for boarding, charter and magnet schools as well as schools for STEM and the arts among many others.

Check back with Patch this week for coverage on Illinois’ best school districts and best private schools.