Two Illinois high schools were named among the top 100 in the country and both were in Chicago, according to the latest ranking from US News & World Report.
The annual ranking dubbed Northside College Preparatory High School the best school in Illinois and no. 40 in the U.S. Payton College Preparatory High School was named no. 2 in the state and 64th in the country, according to the report.
Both schools are Chicago Public Schools.
In total, 14 Illinois schools received “gold medals” in the ranking, meaning they charted in the top 500.
The Best High schools ranking looked at data from more than 22,000 public high schools in all 50 states.
The report began by determining schools where students were performing better than statistically expected for students in their state. It then looked at whether disadvantaged students performed at or better than the state average for least-advantaged students and whether the schools had a graduation rate of 75 percent or greater. It also gaged students’ college preparedness by using Advanced Placement test data.
The top school in the country was BASIS Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to the report.
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BASIS Tucson North in Tucson, Arizona came in second followed by BASIS Oro Valley in Oro Valley, Arizona; School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas; and BASIS Peoria in Peoria, Arizona.
In addition to Illinois’ 14 gold medal schools, 67 also received silver medals and 114 earned bronze medals.
Of the top 14 schools in the state, eight are in Chicago.
The top schools in Illinois include:
1. Northside College Preparatory High School in Chicago
2. Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago
3. Jones College Prep High School in Chicago
4. Young Magnet High School in Chicago
5. Lane Technical High School in Chicago
6. Adlai E Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire
7. Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale
8. Lincoln Park High School in Chicago
9. Prospect High School in Mount Prospect
10. Brooks College Prep Academy High School in Chicago
11. John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights
12. Phoenix Military Academy High School in Chicago
13. Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn
14. Libertyville High School in Libertyville
"Despite a discriminatory state funding formula that treats Chicago students as second-class citizens, and a governor who has not introduced a balanced budget in over two years while wreaking havoc on education funding from Pre-K to college, Chicago schools and students continue to beat the odds and break new records every year," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "CPS students, teachers, principals and families deserve tremendous credit for their hard work, talent and unwavering commitment to academic success.”
There are also rankings for charter schools, magnet schools and STEM schools.