Evanston Township High School Named Third-Best School District In USA

EVANSTON, IL — The school review website Niche ranked Evanston Township High School District 202 as the third-best school district in the United States.

ETHS trailed only Stevenson High School District 125 and Glenbrook High School District 225 in the national rankings for best district.

Niche gave District 202 an A+ grade in every category except administration and sports, in which it received A grades, and food, which received a B+.

Despite its high ranking, only 48 percent of ETHS students are proficient in reading on state language arts tests, and 47 percent are proficient in math. The average graduation rate at ETHS is 92 percent, according to Niche.

In addition to the No. 3 rating among school districts, ETHS was ranked No. 55 on the best places to teach in America list, No. 211 for best school districts for athletes, No. 277 for districts with the best teachers and No. 336 for most diverse school in America.

As for best public high schools, Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora was the top-ranked school in the state, at No. 17 nationwide, with Whitney Young High School in Chicago following at No. 19 in the country.

Rankings published by Niche, a Pittsburgh-based website formerly known as College Prowler, rely on ratings submitted by website users as part of its methodology for assessing districts.

For instance, for its "academics" grade, Niche assigns 17.3 percent to the "top colleges score," the average level of prestige of colleges and universities in which its users report interest. Another 12 percent is based on parent/student survey ratings on academics in the district. Meanwhile, just 6.7 percent of the score is assigned to the percentage of students in Advanced Placement courses.

Of the district's 56 reviews on the website, 22 of them give it five stars, 28 give it four stars and six give it three stars.

Stevenson and Glenbrook high school districts have taken the top two spots in the Niche rankings for four years in a row. This year marks the second consecutive year that ETHS has joined them on the podium.

Niche founder and CEO Luke Skurman said his company's ratings are about reducing the stress of major educational decisions. In addition to schools, Niche also rates places to live.

“Choosing the right school for our children can have a real ripple effect on their lives — from career path and earning potential to how they’ll contribute to society," said . "Our annual K-12 rankings empower families to make informed decisions and help lay a strong foundation for their children’s futures.”

Earlier this year, ETHS was ranked 39th among public high schools in Illinois and 933rd nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, which evaluated 673 schools in the state and 17,655 schools across the country based on standardized test scores, graduation rates and college readiness levels.

At the time, Superintendent Marcus Campbell said it "reflects not only the achievements of our students, but also the commitment of our teachers and staff, and the support of our families.”

And last month, 16 Evanston Township High School students from the class of 2025 were named National Merit semifinalists, 10 more than this year's graduating class.