2 Chicago Schools Ranked on Newsweek’s List of Top 100 Public High Schools

Two Chicago schools have cracked the top 100 on Newsweek’s list of America’s Top Public High Schools this year.

Northside College Preparatory High School at 5501 N. Kedzie Ave. in the city’s North Park neighborhood was the top ranked school in the entire state of Illinois, coming in at the No. 8 spot nationally.

Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, located at 211 S. Laflin St. on the Near West Side, came in at No. 77 on this year’s Newsweek list.

A handful of suburban schools also made the top 100 include New Trier (Winnetka) High School at No. 17, Hinsdale Central High School at No. 34, Lake Forest High School at No. 37 and Maine South High School (Park Ridge) at No. 73.

See all 24 Illinois High Schools that made Newsweek's list

Newsweek looked at six measurements and weighted them to achieve a “college readiness index.” The rankings show how well high schools prepare students for college.

Those measurements and their weight are:

• Holding power: 10 percent

• Ratio of counselor/full-time equivalent to student enrollment: 10 percent
• Weighted SAT/ACT: 17.5 percent
• Weighted AP/IB/dual enrollment composite: 17.5 percent
• Graduation rate: 20 percent

• College enrollment rate: 25 percent

In all, 6,477 of the nation’s 15,819 public high schools met the criteria to be considered in Newsweek’s rankings.

Newsweek used school performance data from the National Center for Education Statistics to narrow the list of schools.

Of those 6,477 schools, 4,760 were considered for the overall rankings, while 4,452 made the cut for another list of schools called “beating the odds.”