Andrew, Stagg, Sandburg Ranked Among Top 100 Illinois Schools

ORLAND PARK, IL -- Andrew, Sandburg and Stagg high schools in Dist. 230 ranked Top 100 of Illinois rankings on the U.S. News & World Report's Best High Schools list. The 2018 best high school rankings were released Wednesday and evaluate more than 20,500 public high schools across the country. U.S. News identified schools that best serve all students and assessed how prepared students are for college-level work. Schools are also recognized with gold, silver and bronze medals with gold indicating the greatest level of college readiness.

Illinois has 1,519 high schools, including 1,188 public schools and 331 private schools. Illinois ranks fifth in student enrollment and fifth in total number of schools among U.S. states. Illinois ranks 12th in student/teacher ratio and 30th for percentage of students on free or reduced lunches, according to HighSchools.com.

The three Dist. 230 high schools earned silver medals. To achieve a gold or silver medal, high schools must have a college readiness index of 20.91 or above.

>>> 8 Chicago High Schools Among Best In Illinois For 2018: US News

Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park was only south suburban high school to crack the Top 50 in Illinois rankings, landing in the 43rd spot and 1,603 nationally. Sandburg has a student enrollment of 3,166 with a 93 percent graduation rate. The school scored 35.4 percent in college readiness. The school’s advanced placement participation rate is 41 percent, with a 83-percent passing rate. Minority enrollment is 22 percent. Sandburg employs 190 full-time teachers.

With a graduation rate of 91 percent and score of 26.2 percent in college readiness, Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills ranked 60 among Illinois high schools and 2,302 naationaly. Stagg’s student enrollment is 2,327 with an advanced placement participation rate of 36 percent, and a 64-percent passing rate. Minority enrollment is 25 percent. Stagg employs 157 full-time teachers.

Victor J. Andrew High School in Orland Hills landed in the 58 spot in Illinois high school rankings and 2,177 nationally. Andrew earned a 27.7 percent score on the college readiness index. Out of Andrew’s 2,049 student enrollment, the school’s advanced placement participation rate is 36 percent, with a 68-percent passing rate. Minority enrollment is 21 percent. Andrew employs 134 full time teachers.

Nine Chicago high schools earned gold medals, while 10 city schools received silver medals. Bronze medals were given to three Chicago high schools. In Illinois, Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago earned the title of the best high school in the state. Overall, the school ranked as the 52nd best high school in the country, followed by Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago in the number 2 spot among Illinois, and 82 nationally.

To determine the rankings, U.S. News teamed up with the social science research firm RTI International. A variety of data sources, including the Common Core of Data, College Board and the International Baccalaureate, were used.

A four-step process was used to rank all eligible schools. The first two steps were to determine whether students were performing better than statistically expected in the state and whether minority were performing at or better than the state average for minority students, which was the second step. The third step required schools to meet or surpass a certain graduation benchmark and the final step was to determine college readiness. (You can read the full methodology here.)

The top 10 high schools in the U.S. overall are:

1. BASIS Scottsdale (Arizona)
2. BASIS Chandler (Arizona)
3. BASIS Oro Valley (Arizona)
4. BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
5. BASIS Flagstaff (Arizona)
6. Meridian School (Texas)
7. International Academy of Macomb (Michigan)
8. BASIS Peoria (Arizona)
9. Baccalaureate School for Global Education (New York)
10. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virginia)

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