These Are The Best Public High Schools In IL For 2026-27: U.S. News

Twenty-five public high schools in Illinois earned the highest spots in the state in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best High Schools.

U.S. News evaluated about 27,000 eligible public high schools nationwide and ranked nearly 18,000 of them.

Here are the top 25 high schools in Illinois, along with their national rankings:

1. Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago — No. 30 nationally
2. Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago — No. 54 nationally
3. Lane Technical High School, Chicago — No. 80 nationally
4. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora — No. 88 nationally
5. Jones College Prep High School, Chicago — No. 99 nationally
6. Young Magnet High School, Chicago — No. 107 nationally
7. University of Illinois High School, Urbana — No. 162 nationally
8. Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnsire — No. 208 nationally
9. Hinsdale Central High School — No. 231 nationally
10. Hancock College Preparatory High School, Chicago — No. 269 nationally
11. Lake Forest High School — No. 277 nationally
12. Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville — No. 295 nationally
13. New Trier Township High School, Winnetka — No. 324 nationally
14. Vernon Hills High School — No. 343 nationally
15. Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook — No. 378 nationally
16. Brooks College Prep Academy High School, Chicago — No. 379 nationally
17. Deerfield High School — No. 387 nationally
18. William Fremd High School, Palatine — No. 406 nationally
19. Barrington High School — No. 427 nationally
20. Libertyville High School — No. 462 nationally
21. University High School, Normal — No. 485 nationally
22. John Hersey High School, Arlington Heights — No. 498 nationally
23. Glenbrook South High School, Glenview — No. 523 nationally
24. Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park — No. 540 nationally
25. Metea Valley High School, Aurora — No. 558 nationally

The rankings are based on six performance measures, including student achievement on state-required assessments, graduation rates and college readiness.

U.S. News also considers how well schools serve underserved students, participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, curriculum breadth and overall student outcomes.

The rankings use data from the 2023-2024 school year and were produced with research firm RTI International.

Massachusetts had the largest share of high schools ranked in the top 25 percent nationally, at 47 percent, followed by New Jersey at 44 percent and Maryland at 43 percent.

Among metropolitan areas with a significant number of ranked schools, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, had the largest share in the national top quarter, at 60 percent. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, followed at 59 percent, and Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wisconsin, at 56 percent.

Central Magnet School in Tennessee topped the national ranking, followed by Signature School in Indiana and Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Pennsylvania.

Signature School also ranked first among charter schools. High Technology High School in New Jersey ranked first among STEM high schools.

The full rankings are available at U.S. News & World Report.