These Are Illinois’ Top 25 High Schools, According To A New Report

Back when I was in high school, I was exhausted from spending time in just one single high school. I can't imagine how tired the number-crunchers at US News & World Report must have been after evaluating nearly 24,000 high schools nationally, and then ranking almost 18,000 (17,901) of them for their new piece 2025-26 Best High School Rankings.

In addition to traditional high schools, the US News & World Report rankings encompass charter as well as science, technology, engineering and math-focused schools.

Although Illinois schools have a really good showing on the list, none of the high schools in Illinois made it into the top ten in the nation:

1. BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
2. Signature School (Indiana)
3. Central Magnet School (Tennessee)
4. Davidson Academy (Nevada)
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Virginia)
6. Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (New Mexico)
7. Hass Hall Bentonville (Arkansas)
8. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School (Pennsylvania)
9. The School for the Talented and Gifted (Texas)
10. Aiken Scholars Academy (South Carolina)

Before We Look At The National Rankings For Illinois High Schools, Let's Take A Look At Illinois' Top Five, According To The Report

According to US News & World Report, Illinois has:

• 480 districts
• 715 High Schools
• 40,748 Full-time teachers
• 601,349 students enrolled

The top five, according to the study, would be these Illinois high schools (all in Chicago or Chicagoland):

1. Payton College Preparatory High School
2. Northside College Preparatory High School
3. Lane Technical High School
4. Young Magnet High School
5. Jones College Prep High School

Let's Start With The Ten Illinois High Schools That Ranked Highest On The List

In their study, US News & World Report ranked these 10 Illinois schools highest:

• Payton College Preparatory High School (#32 nationally) Chicago
• Northside College Preparatory High School (#40 nationally) Chicago
• Lane Technical High School (#72 nationally) Chicago
• Young Magnet High School (#104 nationally) Chicago
• Jones College Preparatory High School (#106 nationally) Chicago
• Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (#120 nationally) Aurora
• University of Illinois High School (# 124 nationally) Urbana
• Adlai E Stevenson High School (#203 nationally) Lincolnshire
• Hinsdale Central High School (#302 nationally) Hinsdale
• Hancock College Preparatory High School (#314 nationally) Chicago

And, here are the other 15 Illinois high schools that landed on the best high schools list:

1. Vernon Hills High School (#323)
2. Neuqua Valley High School (#340)
3. New Trier Township High School (#371)
4. William Fremd High School (#397)
5. John Hersey High School (#404)
6. Lake Forest High School (#410)
7. Brooks College Preparatory High School (#429)
8. Deerfield High School (#437)
9. Glenbrook South High School (#466)
10. Glenbrook North High School (#475)
11. Libertyville High School (#532)
12. Naperville Central High School (#546)
13. Barrington High School (#548)
14. Maine South High School (#579)
15. Prospect High School (#625)