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1 / 25#25. William Fremd High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Township High School District No. 211, IL
- Enrollment: 2,708 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Best high schools in the Chicago metro area
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.
To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.
Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.
Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.
With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Chicago metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.
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2 / 25#24. Morgan Park Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 458 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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3 / 25#23. Glenbrook North High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Glenbrook High School District 225, IL
- Enrollment: 2,062 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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4 / 25#22. The Chicago Academy for the Arts
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 113 (2:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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5 / 25#21. New Trier Township High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: New Trier Township High School District No. 203, IL
- Enrollment: 2,856 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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6 / 25#20. Neuqua Valley High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Indian Prairie Community Unit School District No. 204, IL
- Enrollment: 3,156 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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7 / 25#19. Glenbrook South High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Glenbrook High School District 225, IL
- Enrollment: 3,030 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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8 / 25#18. Hinsdale Central High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Hinsdale Township High School District No. 86, IL
- Enrollment: 2,472 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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9 / 25#17. Saint Ignatius College Prep
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 1,512 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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10 / 25#16. Beacon Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Evanston, IL
- Enrollment: 148 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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11 / 25#15. The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 2,051 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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12 / 25#14. Lane Tech College Prep High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chicago Public Schools, IL
- Enrollment: 4,496 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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13 / 25#13. Adlai E. Stevenson High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125, IL
- Enrollment: 4,489 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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14 / 25#12. Jones College Prep High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chicago Public Schools, IL
- Enrollment: 1,941 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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15 / 25#11. Latin School of Chicago
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 1,189 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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16 / 25#10. Lycée Français de Chicago
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 762 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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17 / 25#9. Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chicago Public Schools, IL
- Enrollment: 2,148 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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18 / 25#8. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Aurora, IL
- Enrollment: 624 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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19 / 25#7. Francis W. Parker School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 940 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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20 / 25#6. North Shore Country Day
- School type: Private School
- Location: Winnetka, IL
- Enrollment: 510 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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21 / 25#5. Northside College Preparatory High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chicago Public Schools, IL
- Enrollment: 1,040 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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22 / 25#4. Roycemore School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Evanston, IL
- Enrollment: 244 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. British International School of Chicago, South Loop
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Enrollment: 717 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. Payton College Preparatory High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chicago Public Schools, IL
- Enrollment: 1,233 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
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25 / 25#1. Lake Forest Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Lake Forest, IL
- Enrollment: 450 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.
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