10 Illinois High Schools On List Of 50 Best High Schools In U.S.

You don't have to do too much searching to find stories about bad schools, whether here in Illinois or across the country. There's no shortage of hot takes on schools that are failing their students, but not nearly as many looks at high schools that are doing things right.

That's why it was refreshing to see that 10 Illinois high schools have distinguished themselves enough to be recognized on a list of the nation's top 50 high schools.

Keep in mind that only one state had more of its high schools show up on the list than Illinois, and that state is New York with 11 high schools making the cut.

The List Was Published By 247WallSt.com, Using Numbers Gathered From Niche, An Education Ranking/Review Website, Which Assessed Public High Schools Across The Country On Several Factors

Here's what they looked at to determine their rankings, according to Niche.com:

The Best Public High Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data, and ratings collected from millions of Niche users.

Before we look at which Illinois high schools rank highly on the Niche.com study, let's just go ahead and tell you which high school they ranked as being the best in the entire country.

That high school is the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, located in Durham, North Carolina. Here are their numbers:

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
> Location: Durham, NC
> Student-teacher ratio: 7:1
> Avg. graduation rate: N/A
> Avg. SAT score: 1440 out of 1600
> Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
> Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
> Total enrollment: 680

These 10 Illinois High Schools Are The Ones Who Made The Top 50

Leading the pack here in Illinois, and being ranked the 3rd best high school in all of the United States, is the University of Illinois High School in Urbana.

University of Illinois High School
> Location: Urbana, IL
> Student-teacher ratio: N/A
> Avg. graduation rate: N/A
> Avg. SAT score: 1470 out of 1600
> Avg. ACT score: 33 out of 36
> Students enrolled in at least one AP course: N/A
> Total enrollment: 314

The rest of the 10 include:

• Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, ranked #9 overall
• Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale, ranked at #25 overall
• Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, #29
• Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville, ranked #30
• Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, ranked #31
• William Fremd High School, Palatine #34
• Vernon Hills High School, Vernon Hills, #42
• New Trier Township High School, Winnetka and Northfield, #43
• Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest, #45 overall