District 99 schools rank high in U.S. News & World Report listings

Community High School District 99′s two high schools rank among the top schools in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 listing of America’s Best High Schools.

Among 723 Illinois high schools, Downers Grove North High School was ranked 49th and Downers Grove South High School was ranked 116th. Nationally, North High ranked 1,304 and South High ranked 3,194 out of 17,680 high schools. The pandemic impacted the methodology this year, which impacted overall scores; click here for details.

“We appreciate that our schools rank high in this publication, but it’s just one measure of the quality educational programs we offer at District 99,” Superintendent Hank Thiele said in a news release. “Many of the schools ranked highest on the list are schools with selective enrollment and are not similar to large comprehensive public high schools like those in District 99.

“More reflective of our performance are measures tracked by the state of Illinois, which provide a more detailed picture of how our students are progressing and learning.”

Data from the state report card will be presented to the public on Nov. 6.

At the next District 99 Board of Education meeting on September 11, the district will share recent scores on Advanced Placement exams, which show an increase in successfully completed AP tests.