8 Chicago High Schools Among Best In Illinois For 2018: US News

CHICAGO, IL — Chicago high schools dominated U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 rankings of the best high schools in Illinois, with eight city schools included in the state's top 10, according to the magazine. Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood took the No. 1 spot in Illinois and was the ranked 52nd overall in the country.

The 2018 best high school rankings were released Wednesday and evaluate more than 20,500 public high schools. U.S. News identified schools that best serve all students and assessed how prepared students are for college-level work. Schools are also recognized with gold, silver and bronze medals with gold indicating the greatest level of college readiness.

Nine Chicago high schools earned gold medals, while 10 city schools received silver medals. Bronze medals were given to three Chicago high schools.

Here's a look at the top 10 Illinois high schools, along with how the schools ranked nationally, according to U.S. News:

1. Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago (52)
2. Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago (82)
3. Lane Technical College Prep High School, Chicago (112)
4. Phoenix Military Academy High School, Chicago (122)
5. Jones College Prep High School, Chicago (124)
6. Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Chicago (140)
7. Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire (199)
8. Proviso Math and Science Academy, Forest Park (261)
9. Lincoln Park High School, Chicago (324)
10. Gwendolyn Brooks College Prepatory Academy, Chicago (345)

Although it didn't crack the state's top 10, Chicago's Lindblom Math and Science Academy ranked 11th in Illinois and earned a gold medal from U.S. News. It also rated 395th in the country.

"These rankings are another deserved recognition for the hard-working students and dedicated teachers, principals and families at Chicago Public Schools," Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice K. Jackson and Board of Education President Frank M. Clark said in a joint statement. "It is significant, yet not surprising, that CPS represents most of the best schools in Illinois and is among the ranks of the greatest schools in the country. These schools represent just a sampling of the many high quality schools that are raising the bar for success and leading education experts across the nation to take notice of Chicago’s progress.”

To determine the rankings, U.S. News teamed up with the social science research firm RTI International. A variety of data sources, including the Common Core of Data, College Board and the International Baccalaureate, were used.

A four-step process was used to rank all eligible schools. The first two steps were to determine whether students were performing better than statistically expected in the state and whether minority were performing at or better than the state average for minority students, which was the second step. The third step required schools to meet or surpass a certain graduation benchmark and the final step was to determine college readiness. (You can read the full methodology here.)

These Illinois schools also landed in the top 20 statewide:

• Lindblom Math and Science Academy, Chicago
• Libertyville High School, Libertyville
• Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale
• John Hersey High School, Arlington Heights
• Vernon Hills High School, Vernon Hills
• Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville
• York Community High School, Elmhurst
• St Charles North High School, St. Charles
• Metea Valley High School, Aurora
• Hinsdale South High School, Hinsdale

The top 10 high schools in the U.S. overall are:

1. BASIS Scottsdale (Arizona)
2. BASIS Chandler (Arizona)
3. BASIS Oro Valley (Arizona)
4. BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
5. BASIS Flagstaff (Arizona)
6. Meridian School (Texas)
7. International Academy of Macomb (Michigan)
8. BASIS Peoria (Arizona)
9. Baccalaureate School for Global Education (New York)
10. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virginia)

Click here to see the full rankings and for more insight on the data.

Walter Payton College Preparatory High School (Image via Google Earth)