Caitlin Wilson 
REBOOT STAFF
Jan 2, 2015
While many high school students are enjoying their winter breaks, academic work will still be waiting form them when the new semester begins. According to City Described, students at 20 Illinois high schools will be making that return to a better environment than the rest of the state’s students.
Education has been a hot topic in Illinois politics in 2014, and the conversation is likely to continue into 2015, with debates on a school funding bill in the General Assembly around the corner and discussions about Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner’s education plan on the horizon.
These are the 20 schools that City Described says are the best in the state right now. See stats about the schools from City Described below the graphic.
20. Riverside Brookfield High School
75% proficiency in reading and math
62% participation in Advanced Placement
66 instructors for its 1,400 students
19. Lane Technical High School
Selective Enrollment
New science and technology curriculum
4,000 students
18. Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy
Opened in 2001
769 students
90% pass rate for Advanced Placement tests
17. New Trier Township High School Winnetka
$15,000 per-student spending
98% college-bound students in 2013
120 state athletic championships
16. Lincoln Park High School
2,200 students
Offers the International Baccalaureate Program
65% of students met or exceeded reading standards
15. John Hersey High School
85% pass rate for Advanced Placement exams
Offers Chinese language classes
Named one of the top 30 high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report
14. Hinsdale Central High School
$11,000 per-pupil spending
89% math competence
98% graduation rate
13. Highland Park High School
61% of students
First place in the Model U.N. Club competition
99% four-year graduation rate
12. Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Nearly 4,000 students
2010 National School of Distinction in Arts Education award recipient
86% AP test pass rate
11. Deerfield High School
Boys and girls tennis champions 2004-2005 and 2005-206
89% met or exceeded district math and reading standards
Named a 2009 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education
10. Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
2,0o0 students
75% of students met or exceeded reading standards
82% of the student body is enrolled in AP courses
9. Jones College Prep
10% of students exceed mathematic expectations
92% of students are enrolled in Advanced Placement
81% passed AP exams
8. Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
96% passed state math tests
93% passed AP exams
Named for Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears football team
7. Northside College Preparatory High School
769 enrolled students
Student body is made up of 99% minority students
57% AP exam pass rate
6. Lake Forest High School
Nearly 99% of its 2005 graduating class went to college
96% of faculty hold advanced degrees
Recognized as a top school by the New York Times and Washington Post
5. Glenbrook South High School
Named the 2008 National GRAMMY school for its music program
Offers specialized foreign-language tracks
Nationally recognized debate team
4. Vernon Hills High School
20.3 students in an average class
97 out of 111 instructors hold advanced degrees
2012 mean composite ACT score of 25.4
3. Naperville Central High School
Features an ancient Egyptian mummy
The school’s 2010 junior class had 14 perfect ACT scores
Nearly 97% of its class of 2008 graduated
2. Prospect High School
Nearly 95% of its class of 2008 graduated
Features international exchange student program in partnership with schools in France, Italy and Spain
Girls’ golf state champions in 2011 and 2013
1. Geneva Community High School
Founded 1876
24.2 2010 average composite ACT score
85% AP exam pass rate in 2010
NEXT ARTICLE: Education Calculations: How much local, state and federal funding Illinois school districts receive
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Caitlin Wilson is a staff writer for Reboot Illinois. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago, where she studied journalism and political science. Caitlin has become both endeared to and frustrated with her adopted home state and wants to bring Illinoisans the information they need to actively participate in the politics that directly affect them. You can find Reboot on Facebook here and on Twitter at @rebootillinois.