U.S. News & World Report released its ranking of the top high schools in the country this week, including 18,000 out of 24,000 public high schools reviewed by the outlet. While an Indiana school landed in the second place, two Chicago high schools landed on the top 50 list and all five of the top schools in Illinois are located in the city.
Signature School in Evansville, Ind. – around a five-hour drive from Chicago – was in second place for the 2025-2026 school year, behind BASIS Tucson North in Tucson, Ariz. Rounding out the national top five list was Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Davidson Academy in Reno, Nev., and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va.
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago ranked at 32 nationally and Northside College Preparatory High School in the North Park area ranked at 40.
“Walter Payton College Preparatory High School's curriculum is centered on honors and Advanced Placement courses in math, science, language and the humanities, among other subjects,” said U.S. News & World Report. “Students at Payton can supplement their classroom learning by participating in global exchange and study programs in countries such as France, Belize and South Africa. In addition to core courses and exchange opportunities, the school offers seminars in horseback riding and Pilates.”
It also ranked 31 in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Both Payton and Northside were the highest-ranking STEM schools in Illinois.
“Northside College Preparatory High School’s curriculum focuses on in-depth study of topics such as physics, constitutional law and computer science,” U.S. News & World Report said. “Students can also choose from several language programs and a range of clubs and extracurricular activities. Most classes at Northside College Preparatory High School are honors or Advanced Placement level, and students can participate in study abroad programs to enhance their learning.”
According to U.S. News & World Report, rankings were decided based on six factors. These were: the proportion of 12th-grade students who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams; aggregated scores on math, science and reading state assessments; performance on those tests exceeding expectations given schools’ proportion of underserved students; underserved student performance; proportions of 12th-grade students who took and earned a qualifying score on AP and/or IB exams in multiple content areas and graduation rate.
Based on these factors, schools received a percentile score. Schools with scores lower than the 25th percentile were listed as “ranking” rather than having a numerical rank.
Here are the top 5 public high schools in Illinois, based on this ranking:
1. Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Old Town (32 nationally)
2. Northside College Preparatory High School, North Park (40 nationally)
3. Lane Technical High School, Roscoe Village (72 nationally)
4. Whitney Young Magnet High School, Near West Side (104 nationally)
5. Jones College Prep, Printer’s Row (106 nationally)
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora ranked sixth in the state, followed by University of Illinois High School in Urbana, Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale and John Hancock College Preparatory High School in the Clearing neighborhood of Chicago in the state’s top 10. Full Illinois rankings are available here.