Schools
2 Chicago Public High Schools Ranked Best In Nation
Walter Payton Prep and Northside College Prep were named No. 1 and No. 2 in the United States, respectively, on Niche.com's annual list.
CHICAGO, IL — Two Chicago public high schools topped the 2018 list of best public high schools in the United States that's compiled annually by a website that analyzes and evaluates data from educational institutions and neighborhoods across the country. Walter Payton College Prep was ranked No. 1 and Northside College Preparatory High School was rated No. 2 by Niche.com, which released its list Monday. A third Chicago Public Schools high school also cracked the top 10 with Whitney Young Magnet School earning the No. 6 spot.
Niche determines its rankings by examining data from the US Department of Education, as well as test scores, college data and reviews from the website's users. The methodology for each category of rankings varied with some factors having a higher weight for certain categories over others. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)
“I am so proud of the great work by principals, teachers and students in these high schools, from Walter Payton to Northside Prep to Whitney Young, and throughout Chicago Public Schools," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement concerning the rankings. "They are proving to everyone what those of us in Chicago have long known, Chicago students always succeed when we invest in their success."
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RELATED: Illinois Schools Snag Top Spots On Best Public High Schools List
Five Chicago public high schools were also rated the best in Illinois. Along with Walter Payton, Northside Prep and Whitney Young, which moved up a spot on the state list to No. 5, Jones College Prep and Lane Tech College were ranked No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
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The rankings were much-needed good news for CPS, which announced Monday around 950 employee layoffs, including 365 teachers.
RELATED: CPS To Lay Off 950 Employees, Including More Than 350 Teachers
Go to Niche.com's website for the complete list of the best high schools, middle schools and elementary schools in the country.
Patch Editor Shannon Antinori contributed to this story.
Walter Payton College Prep (left) and Northside College Preparatory High School (Photos via Chicago Public Schools)
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