New Trier High School's Ranking by US News & World Report
The local news outlets this week published an annual "Best High School" report by U.S. News and World Report . It was reported that New Trier High School (Winnetka, IL) was ranked at #12 in Illinois. That was up one notch since its ranking last year at #13 of the best public high schools.
There wasn't much comment about this but my first thought was, why is New Trier all the way down at #12? To many people, that statement might sound absurd - after all, there are 667 public high schools in Illinois included in the survey.
But when school quality is a question for home buyers moving to Winnetka (or other New Trier communities including Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and parts of Glenview and Northbrook) then I will be asked why the school is only ranked #12. While some of the higher ranking schools are Chicago magnet schools, others closer to home that ranked higher than New Trier are Deerfield, Stevenson, and Highland Park high schools.
I called New Trier and asked for a clarification of the report from Nicole Dizon, Director of Communications. She explained that the testing parameters used by U.S. News is flawed and that New Trier has repeatedly been asked to be taken out of the ranking.
At New Trier, only Juniors and Seniors (with rare exceptions) take the test. And even then, enrollment in advanced placement classes is restricted by a student's past academic record and Department approval is required.
Because of this philosophy of assuring that only the most prepared students take the AP classes, New Trier students perform exceptionally well on AP exams. In 2012, 95% of the students who tested received a score of 3 or higher, the score that is needed to receive college credit. 51% of the scores were 5, the highest possible, and 31% were 4, with 13% getting a score of 3.
However, according to Ms. Dizon, U.S. News uses a formula that simply counts how many students take Advanced Placement (AP) Tests, regardless of their score. The result is that schools whose students did not perform as well as New Trier still end up ranking higher.
Thus, the 11 schools that rank above New Trier administer more tests - they are not comparing scores, but total number of test takers.
Ms. Dizon says a more fair comparison of schools would be the results of ACT tests. In 2012, New Trier's composite average was 27.7 (the state average is 20.2.) That score is the highest of any non-magnet school in Illinois.
And that is what I will tell prospective buyers who are looking for an excellent education for their children when they purchase a home in the New Trier Township.
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