Buffalo Grove, Stevenson High Among 'Most Challenging' Schools: Washington Post

Many students can skate by in high school with good grades when they choose less-challenging courses. But, more challenging courses, such as Advanced Placement classes, are what really help teens grow and learn and even earn college credits. With that in mind, the Washington Post recently released its 2017 list of the Most Challenging High Schools in the U.S.

Several suburban schools made this year's list, and College Prep School of America, a private school in Lombard, was ranked as the most challenging in the state. The school ranked as the 53rd most challenging nationally. Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire came in at No. 3 on the list and Buffalo Grove High School was No. 8.

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The Washington Post ranks schools through an index formula that’s a simple ratio: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year, according to the Washington Post. A ratio of 1.000 means the school had as many tests as graduates.

• For more on the Washington Post's list, and how schools are chosen, visit here

Stevenson received a score of 5.379 as part of the Washington Post's index formula. The school offers 30 different AP courses and students, on average, receive an ACT score of 26.9. The average SAT score for students is 1355 and 90 percent of its students attend a four-year college.

As for Buffalo Grove, the school received an overall score of 3.995, according to the Washington Post. Buffalo Grove High offers 31 different AP classes, and the average ACT score is 23.7. The average SAT score is 1334 and 61.2 percent of students go to four-year universities.

Here is a look at the top 20 most challenging schools in Illinois:

1. College Prep School of America, Lombard
2. Lincoln Park High School, Chicago
3. Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire
4. Westmont High School, Westmont
5. Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Chicago
6. Jones College Prep, Chicago
7. Glenbard West High School, Glen Ellyn
8. Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove
9. Prospect High School, Mount Prospect Prospect
10. John Hersey High School, Arlington Heights
11. Islamic Foundation School, Villa Park
12. Elk Grove High School, Elk Grove Village
13. Auburn High School, Rockford
14. Libertyville High School, Libertyville
15. Hinsdale South High School, Darien
16. Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale
17. Cristo Rey Jesuit, Chicago
18. Grayslake Central High School, Grayslake
19. Rolling Meadows High School, Rolling Meadows
20. Vernon Hills High School, Vernon Hills

View the full list of rankings here

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