Ground Picture // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Midwest Central High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Midwest Central Community Unit School District No. 191, IL
- Enrollment: 252 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: C+
Best high schools in the Peoria 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 Peoria 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.
You may also like: The 30 most popular homes for sale in Peoria
maroke // Shutterstock
2 / 25#24. Pekin Community High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Pekin, IL
- Enrollment: 1,796 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Illini Bluffs High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Illini Bluffs Community Unit School District No. 327, IL
- Enrollment: 267 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
maroke // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Lowpoint-Washburn Junior/Senior High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Lowpoint-Washburn Community Unit School District No. 21, IL
- Enrollment: 144 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
5 / 25#21. Peoria Heights High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Peoria Heights Community Unit School District No. 325, IL
- Enrollment: 208 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus
You may also like: Peoria's 2025 housing market year in review
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
6 / 25#20. East Peoria High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: East Peoria, IL
- Enrollment: 947 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
7 / 25#19. Farmington Central High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Farmington Central Community Unit School District No. 265, IL
- Enrollment: 375 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
8 / 25#18. Dee-Mack High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Deer Creek-Mackinaw Community Unit School District No. 701, IL
- Enrollment: 275 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
9 / 25#17. Delavan High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Delavan Community Unit School District No. 703, IL
- Enrollment: 125 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
10 / 25#16. Illinois Valley Central High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Illinois Valley Central School District No. 321, IL
- Enrollment: 647 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
You may also like: Highest-paying jobs in Peoria that don't require a college degree
Achira22 // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. Roanoke-Benson High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Roanoke Benson Community Unit School District No. 60, IL
- Enrollment: 135 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
LBeddoe // Shutterstock
12 / 25#14. Elmwood High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Elmwood Community Unit School District No. 322, IL
- Enrollment: 200 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
13 / 25#13. Metamora High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Metamora, IL
- Enrollment: 915 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. Tremont High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Tremont Community Unit School District No. 702, IL
- Enrollment: 314 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
15 / 25#11. Faith Baptist Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Pekin, IL
- Enrollment: 130 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
You may also like: How many homes are for sale in Peoria right now?
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
16 / 25#10. Princeville High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Princeville Community Unit School District No. 326, IL
- Enrollment: 332 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. Morton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Morton Community Unit School District No. 709, IL
- Enrollment: 1,061 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. Peoria Notre Dame High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Peoria, IL
- Enrollment: 755 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. Washington Community High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Washington, IL
- Enrollment: 1,484 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. Peoria Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Peoria, IL
- Enrollment: 629 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
You may also like: Mortgage rates fall to 10‑month low, offering relief for Peoria buyers
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock
21 / 25#5. Eureka High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Congerville-Eureka-Goodfield CUSD #140, IL
- Enrollment: 476 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. Brimfield High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Brimfield Community Unit School District No. 309, IL
- Enrollment: 209 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Studio KIWI // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Richwoods High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Peoria School District No. 150, IL
- Enrollment: 1,580 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. Dunlap High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Dunlap Community Unit School District No. 323, IL
- Enrollment: 1,375 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. Daarul Uloom Islamic School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Peoria, IL
- Enrollment: 206 (7:1 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.
You may also like: Cheapest gas stations in Peoria
