U.S. News: St. Charles High Schools Among State's Best

St. Charles Community Unit School District 303’s two high schools ranked among the top 50 public high schools in the state, according to annual rankings published Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report.

, was ranked 21st out of 667 public high schools in Illinois, and , was ranked 39th by U.S. News and World Report, which included them among the nation’s top 1,000 high schools.

District 303 trumpted the 2013 rankings, noting in a press release this is the second year in a row that both of its high schools ranked among both the Top 1,000 high schools nationwide and the Top 40 in Illinois by U.S. News and World Report.

“What is important about these rankings is the recognition of the team effort in our community to educate the students of District 303,” said Superintendent Dr. Donald Schlomann. “Our community is committed to providing resources, the parents of our students send their kids to school ready to learn, our staff members are prepared every day for their work in the classrooms and most importantly, our students are getting the job done.”

St. Charles Patch could not reach Dr. Hichens late Tuesday afternoon.

The 2013 U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools rankings are based on data collected from more than 21,000 public U.S. high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia. The rankings are designed to capture how well high schools educate all their students and prepare them for college-level work, states a press release from U.S. News and World Report.

Schools are evaluated based on overall student performance on state assessments, advanced placement tests and international baccalaureate exams. The ranking also takes into account how well schools educate black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students, according to U.S. News. 

Once all factors were considered, U.S. News designated the 4,805 highest-scoring schools as gold, silver or bronze; the top 500 schools received gold medals and the next 1,790 received silver. 

Based on national rankings, St. Charles North (511) and East (977) received silver medals.

Four Chicago public schools made the top four high schools in Illinois, followed by Deerfield High School at No. 5. Nearby, Hinsdale Central was ranked No. 8, Neuqua Valley in Naperville was No. 23, York High School in Elmhurst was No. 29, Wheaton Warrenville South was No. 32, Naperville North was No. 33, Glenbard South in Glen Ellyn was No. 34 and Naperville Central was No. 35.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized Batavia High School's recognition in the report. Batavia High School was not ranked, but did receive a bronze medal, which recognizes high-performing schools based on state exam performance. We regret the error.

Related:

• See the full 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings
• View photos of the top 10 best public high schools
• Learn how U.S. News calculated the Best High Schools rankings

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