Lincoln-Way 210 Shut Out of Newsweek's Top American Schools List Again

For the second year in a row, Lincoln-Way High School District 210 was shut out of Newsweek’s ranking of America’s Best High Schools.

The last year the district placed a high school in the Top 500 was 2013’s list, based on 2012 data, when LW East ranked 496th. That year, LW North ranked 1,179, while LW West and LW Central ranked 1,182 and 1,188. Lincoln-Way is regarded as one of the best school systems in the south suburbs.

Longtime Supt. Lawrence Wyllie retired in 2012, and R. Scott Tingley, who’d been principal of LW East High School for two years, was hired to lead the district. This year, Lincoln Way School District 210 was placed on the Illinois State Board of Education Financial Watch List because spending has depleted its cash reserve. The school board this week was forced to announce that LW North, a seven-year-old high school, will be closed to save money.

Wednesday is the first day of classes for Lincoln-Way’s high schoolers, and at North today marks the start of the final year students will study here for the foreseeable future. Much of North’s student body will move to East. Next year, if the financial situation does not improve, the board has suggested LW West also could be closed.

» ALSO ON PATCH: Lincoln-Way Serves Up ‘Verbal Manure,’ writes Phil Kadner, as District Blames State for Financial Catastrophe

Tuesday was the first day for teachers and staff, and the district marked the day with a pep assembly.

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Tim Reilly, in a post on the district’s website, said Lincoln-Way’s composite ACT scores and graduation rates are climbing. Those factors are included in Newsweek’s ranking.

“We are going to do what we do best and that is giving Lincoln-Way students every academic and social opportunity to succeed,” Reilly said.

The only school in the far southwest suburbs to make Newsweek’s list was Minooka Community High School, which draws students from Grundy, Kendall and Will counties.

Illinois Schools in the Top 500

This year, 30 Illinois high schools placed in Newsweek’s top 500 list, with Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago placing 10th in the nation. In 2014, 16 Illinois high schools made the top 500.

Half a dozen North Shore schools made this year’s list, led by New Trier. The Naperville area ranked high, too, with Naperville District 203 and Indian Prairie District 204 placing two schools apiece on the list, with Naperville North, Naperville Central, Waubonsie Valley and Metea Valley cracking the top 500.

Six DuPage County schools made the list. Seven high schools from northwest Cook County were in the top 500.

The rankings were compiled using several metrics, including graduation rate, college enrollment rate, SAT and ACT scores, AP and IB scores and participation, teacher-student ratio and dropout rates.

“Some factors are more important, especially since our rankings focus on college readiness,” Jim Impoco, editor in chief of Newsweek, told Patch via email. “We place emphasis on criteria like college enrollment and graduation rate since we know that those are some of the biggest indicators of whether students are prepared for college.”

This year’s rankings were weighted by:

• Enrollment Rate—25 percent
• Graduation Rate—20 percent
• Weighted AP/IB/Dual Enrollment composite—17.5 percent
• Weighted SAT/ACT composite—17.5 percent
• Change in student enrollment between 9th-12th grades, to control for dropout rates—10 percent
• Counselor-to-Student Ratio—10 percent

NEWSWEEK’S TOP ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOLS

Listed according to national rank:

• 10. Walter Payton College Preparatory, Chicago
• 12. Northside College Preparatory HS, Chicago
• 14. New Trier Township HS Winnetka, Winnetka
• 34. Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest
• 46. Jones College Prep High School, Chicago
• 58. Naperville North High School, Naperville
• 82. Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire
• 90. Glenbrook South High School, Glenview
• 95. Naperville Central High School, Naperville
• 104. William Fremd High School, Palatine
• 161. Barrington High School, Barrington
• 175. Lake Zurich High School, Lake Zurich
• 250. John Hersey High School, Arlington Heights
• 251. Prairie Ridge High School, Crystal Lake
• 262. Grayslake Centrol High School, Grayslake
• 263. Highland Park High School, Highland Park
• 323. Cary-Grove Community High School, Cary
• 346. Prospect High School, Mt. Prospect
• 349. Minooka Community High School, Minooka
• 364. Morton High School, Morton
• 380. Maine South High School, Park Ridge
• 382. J B Conant High School, Hoffman Estates
• 387. St. Charles North High School, St. Charles
• 388. Wheaton North High School, Wheaton
• 393. Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora
• 415. Hinsdale South High School, Darien
• 442. Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove
• 467. Dunlap High School, Dunlap
• 470. Monticello High School, Monticello
• 497. Metea Valley High School, Aurora

see the full list on the Newsweek website