2024 Best High Schools in Illinois

What High School Paths Does Illinois Provide?

Illinois is home to 1036 high schools, which is an incredible 113% more than the average state's 486. This means that there are a wealth of options for those in the state for their education, ranking Illinois #46 in the nation for schools per capita. The state's average school rating is a B–, and 57% of schools exceed the national average.

In total, 70% of the state's high schools are public, and they have an average rating of B–. Of those 721 schools, the majority are traditional public schools (622). Approximately 64% of those traditional public schools sit above the national average, so you can be sure that 401 such schools are considered better than normal.

Digging deeper into public high school alternatives, there are also 72 charter schools in the state, which ranks Illinois in the 26th spot for most charter schools per capita vs the average state. Only 25% of those charter schools exceed the national average in quality. Also, of the 27 magnet high schools, 15 earned above average marks.

Turning now to private high schools, there are 279 in total (roughly 27% of all schools). Although the figure may seem relatively small, Illinois actually has 16% fewer private school options than the average state per capita, so despite its larger state population there are still numerous private school options. With a median rating of A–, nearly half (47%) of Illinois' private schools are rated above the national average. About 61% of private high schools in Illinois are religiously affiliated, led primarily by Christian schools which total 112. The state ranks 38th for most religious schools per capita, so it falls slightly below average in terms of how much religious influence there is in its school options. There are also 22 all-boys schools in Illinois, which is a 7% increase from the typical state, while there are 14 all-girls schools, which is 24% more than the average.

At the moment, Illinois does not have any online schools, which puts it tied for last with a handful of other states that also have no online options.