Niles Township High Schools Maintain US News & World Report Rankings

SKOKIE, IL — For the second consecutive year, both Niles Township High School District 219 schools were ranked in the top 80 in Illinois by U.S. News and World Report.

Niles West High School ranked No. 65 in Illinois and No. 1,376 in the nation, which is one spot higher than last year in the state rankings.

Niles North High School ranked No. 79 in the state, the same as last year, and No. 1,769 in the nation.

At Niles West, the approximately 2,600 students have a 51 percent Advanced Placement participation rate, with 41 percent of students passing at least one AP exam, according to U.S. News. Mathematics proficiency is 48 percent, reading proficiency is 48 percent and the Niles West graduation rate is 95 percent, which U.S. News classified as "somewhat above state median."

At Niles North, 45 percent of the approximately 2,100 students participate in AP classes, with 36 percent having passed at least one exam. According to U.S. News, math proficiency at Niles North is 45 percent, reading proficiency is 48 percent and the graduation rate of 90 percent is "around state median."

According to U.S. News, the rankings aim to compare how well public schools prepare students for college-level work and teach students basic skills.

In 2020's rankings, Niles West was 71st in Illinois and Niles North was 86th. While back in 2019, Niles North ranked 49th and Niles West ranked 50th in Illinois.

This year's rankings used data from the 2019-20 school year, which was adjusted to compensate for the effects of COVID-19, according to U.S. News.

Most schools closed before state testing in the spring of 2020, and federal education officials granted a waiver to skip testing that year, so U.S. News used assessment data from the prior three years.

In Illinois, the top five schools in the rankings were selective enrollment high schools in Chicago Public Schools, with the No. 6 school a selective enrollment suburban school — Proviso Math and Science Academy.

Among suburban public high schools that accept all residents, Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire was top-ranked, followed by Vernon Hills High School, Hinsdale Central High School, New Trier Township High School and Lake Forest High School.

Among other North Shore public schools, Deerfield High School ranked No. 14 in the state, Glenbrook South ranked No. 18, Glenbrook North was 20th, Highland Park High School was 28th and Evanston Township High School was 41st.

Last Year: Niles Township High Schools Ranked In Top 80 In Illinois