HPHS Ranked No. 7 in Illinois by U.S. News

Highland Park High School ranked No. 7 in Illinois on this year’s list of best public high schools in the country from U.S. News and World Report. 

HPHS rose five spots from 2012, when it was ranked No. 12 in Illinois. 

U.S. News created the rankings based on a list of more than 21,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia, according to a press release from U.S. News. Schools are evaluated based on overall student performance on state tests, Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate exams; rankings also take into account how well students educate black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students, according to the release. 

The rankings are designed to capture how well high schools educate all of their students and prepare them for college-level work, according to U.S. News.

Four Chicago public schools made the top four high schools in Illinois, followed by Deerfield High School at No. 5, Lake Forest High School at No. 17, Vernon Hills High School at No. 19 and Libertyville High School at No. 20.

Highland Park High School was recently listed as the No. 16 toughest high school in Illinois in an annual ranking created by the Washington Post. The Post rankings take the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at the school in one year and divide it by the number of seniors who graduated in May or June.