Both District 128 High Schools Rank Among Illinois’ Best

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Two schools in Vernon Hills-based Community High School District 128 rank among the top public high schools in Illinois, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-27 Best High Schools rankings.

Vernon Hills High School ranked No. 14 in Illinois and No. 343 nationally, while Libertyville High School ranked No. 20 in Illinois and No. 462 nationally.

The rankings evaluated nearly 18,000 public high schools nationwide, with about 27,000 eligible schools considered.

Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire ranked No. 8 in Illinois and No. 208 nationally, while Lake Forest High School ranked No. 11 in Illinois and No. 277 nationally.

Northside College Preparatory High School in Chicago earned the highest ranking in Illinois at No. 30 nationally, followed by Payton College Preparatory High School at No. 54 and Lane Technical High School at No. 80.

The rankings are based on six performance measures, including student performance 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 2023-24 school year and were produced with research firm RTI International.

Central Magnet School in Tennessee took the No. 1 spot nationally, followed by Signature School in Indiana and Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Pennsylvania.

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