Schools
2 Illinois School Districts Are America's Best, Niche Rankings Reveal
Adlai E. Stevenson and Glenbrook High School ranked first and second while six other Chicago-area districts ranked in the nation's Top 20.
ILLINOIS — Two Illinois school districts are ranked as the top in the United States ranked in the education platform Niche’s 2023 Best Schools and Districts according to rankings that were released on Tuesday.
Adlai E. Stevenson High School District in Lincolnshire and Glenbrook High School District 225 ranked 1 and 2 respectively in the U.S. according to the report. Several other districts, including New Trier Township District 203 (No. 7), Community High School District 128 in Vernon Hills (No. 12), Township High School District 113 in Highland Park, and Evanston Township High School District 202 (No. 18) all finished in the top 20 districts in the country, according to Niche.
Niche gave the Stevenson and Glenbrook districts a letter grade of A+. Grades in specific categories were:
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- Academics: A+
- Teachers: A+
- Clubs and activities: A+
- Sports: A+
- Resources and facilities: A+
- Diversity: B+
- College prep: A+
- Administration: A+
- Food: A+
The school district, which has 4,315 students in 2 buildings, received high marks from students, parents, and teachers.
A Stevenson alum praised the district for the resources and educational services it provides and praised the teaching staff for providing quality educational services. The former student said that if students fall behind in their studies, teachers provide additional resources that allowed students to keep up with their fellow classmates.
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The top 25 school districts in Illinois and the letter grades and national rankings assigned by Niche include:
2. Glenbrook High School District, A+
7. New Trier High School District A+
12. Community High School District 128, A+
16. Township High School District 113, A+
18. Evanston Township High School District, A+
24. Hinsdale Township High School District 86, A+
25. Naperville Community School District 203, A+
26. Niles Township Community High School District 219, A+
28. Township High School District 211, Palatine, A+
36. Indian Prairie Community Schools 204, Aurora, A+
47. Barrington Community School District 220 A+
70. Township High School District 214, Arlington Heights, A+
125. Community High School District 155, Crystal Lake A+
156. Elmhurst Community School District 205, A+
161. Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210, A+
167. Community Unity High School District 200, Wheaton, A+
171. Maine Township High School District 207, Park Ridge, A+
176. Dunlap Community Unit District 323, Peoria, A+
178. Grayslake Community High School District 127, A+
205. Consolidated High School District 230, Orland Park, A+
212. Glenbard Township High School District 87, A+
245. Community High School District 99, Downers Grove, A+
272. Lake Zurich Community District 95, A+
276. St. Charles Community District 303, A+
Niche also ranked 92,743 public schools and 30,112 private schools in the 2023 report. The platform said its rankings were created to provide families with valuable information — both quantitative and qualitative — on schools in their area or in a neighborhood they’re not familiar with yet.
On Tuesday, Niche also released a list of its top performing high schools and Payton College Prep, Northside College Prep of Chicago, and Illinois Math and Science Academy ranked among the nation’s best as well as the Top 3 in Illinois.
The rankings differ from others that rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance in that it also includes input from students, alumni, and parents, as well as quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources, and facilities.
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