New Trier's reputation (Chicago, Evanston, Calumet City: low income, real estate, how much)

[edsg25]

I have a question that is based strictly on perception, just on how people see things:

Back "in the day", New Trier had the gold plated reputation as the standard in which all high schools should be held. There was a perception that NT wasn't only the best high school in Chicagoland, but arguably best in the US. New Trier had....well, it's hard to describe....and "aura" during much of its history.

Does it still have the same reputation today? I mean, everyone knows it's an excellent school. But it seems to me that with the growth of suburbia, there are many other great high schools that are totally in New Trier's category. One of them, Stevenson, is a huge school like NT with an incredible program so it takes on that special reputation, too.

Meanwhile, selective high schools like Northside and Payton raise the bar above what any suburban high school can offer.

During its golden days, New Trier did stand out. Suburbia was far smaller. I would go as far as saying that back in that era, New Trier on top and Evanston right behind it had a special reputation among all suburban high schools.

Does New Trier still retain any of that aura, that special character and ranking, or is it more "generic high ranked high school" today?

[chet everett]

For the few people that actually have contact with multiple high schools and see first hand the unique things that NT does regarding faculty selection and envolvement, the huge range of offerings in which NT students excel, the unique characteristics of it upper level classes and the devotion that families still bring to every kind of school event it is still a pretty unique high school.

I agree that the numerical performance of the 100% selective admissions high schools in CPS is not equalled by any other schools in the state but those schools do not have the breadth of offerings that NT does.


Further I have had direct experience with some of the other highly rated schools in the region. Stevenson is huge and draws from a very wide area. It has a large number of high performing students.mit does not have the same levels of faculty involvement as other too rated schools.mthe students are coming from too wide an area for the same kinds of continuituty.

Other desirable districts often have schools of non-uniform expectations / achievement.mthis causes the support of the community to be a little less enthusiastic and it give "ages tax payers" a louder voice.

Areas like Lake Forest are so far off the charts on the income scale that a significant number of families that otherwise would be expected to be huge supporters of their public schools instead send their kids to elite type schools, whether out of Stste or day schools...

If NT fits your commute / lifestyle there is not much reason to do other than try and find a suitable home in-district. The one caveat would be if your kids are not the type to make friends easily in situations where they are faced with a BIG student population and/ or kids who choose poorly when it comes to hanging out with outsiders. There are always some percentage of kids that tend toward the fringes and since NT is so big somemof those kids will end up with too much freedom and the resources to get into some serious trouble very quickly...

[BRU67]

Can't speak to day to day experience there but New Trier benefits from a high achieving student body and a mind blowing level of funding. The community spends $12,043 per pupil on instruction and $20,023 per pupil on operational. I'd hate to see what they'd spend if they were enthusiastic The school is only 4% low income and 2.7% Hispanic and 0.7% African American. Compare that to Thornton Fractional North (Calumet City) where they only spend $6,370 per pupil on instruction and $11,659 per pupil on operational. That school is 47% low income and 78.4% black and 17.6% Hispanic. Without getting into the debate of which school needs the money more, New Trier had better be good at those disparate funding levels!!

[chet everett]

The funding issue is important and I recommend that folks that understand the significance of it both from the standpoint of current spending and the potential for tax increases dig into the section of the Illinois Interactive Report Card that details not just the spending but also how much real estate value "backs" the various schools. It can be eye opening...

[BRU67]

....but not surprising when you learn that communities with lower real estate values fund schools less. Typically, these communities resist tax increases for schools, for a multitude of reasons. And in the interim, we've got a eyebrow raising gulf in quality of education between the haves and have nots. Worse, the models being applied to the have nots are the same as those being applied to the haves, meaning that they are utterly ineffective due to differences in the level of parent involvement, as well as other external forces which do not favor learning in those lower income communities. The whole mess is a recipe for disaster.

[linicx]

Does it really come down to the all mighty dollah?. I've looked at high schools across three states. Edge, you singled out a high school that serves one of the most exclusive communities in America as a prime example of a golden school in a uber-conservative 96% White/Native American community.

Most children in America will not attend an Ivy League prep school. Most will never set foot in one, and most have no idea they even exist.

Despite the $30,000 spent on each pupil, despite teachers with 13 years experience and $100K salaries, despite a high success rate, and despite a 4% low income group, New Trier failed to meet APY. Illinois Interactive Report Card

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by linicx

Does it really come down to the all mighty dollah?. I've looked at high schools across three states. Edge, you singled out a high school that serves one of the most exclusive communities in America as a prime example of a golden school in a uber-conservative 96% White/Native American community.

Most children in America will not attend an Ivy League prep school. Most will never set foot in one, and most have no idea they even exist.

Despite the $30,000 spent on each pupil, despite teachers with 13 years experience and $100K salaries, despite a high success rate, and despite a 4% low income group, New Trier failed to meet APY. Illinois Interactive Report Card

I think the dollah is important but it has to be used correctly. You can't get through to the kids at TF North the same way you can at New Trier. You have to use the dollars in creative ways. The SEED schools in Washington D.C. are a great example of the type of concept that may be needed in some of these areas. School all year, longer school days, and high teacher/student ratios for more one-on-one instruction are others. Of course, that's all very expensive to do, and pretty much impossible under our property tax based educational funding structure. My suspicion is that New Trier would do about the same on the PSAE even if it had TF North's funding levels and teachers, if you catch my drift.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by linicx

Does it really come down to the all mighty dollah?. I've looked at high schools across three states. Edge, you singled out a high school that serves one of the most exclusive communities in America as a prime example of a golden school in a uber-conservative 96% White/Native American community.

Most children in America will not attend an Ivy League prep school. Most will never set foot in one, and most have no idea they even exist.

Despite the $30,000 spent on each pupil, despite teachers with 13 years experience and $100K salaries, despite a high success rate, and despite a 4% low income group, New Trier failed to meet APY. Illinois Interactive Report Card

The reason why NT does not make AYP has to do with the fact that it is already at 90% of the students meeting or exceeding the standards.

AYP for a good school is a ridiculous measure and tells you nothing. If you look further into the data, you will see that the reasons for not meeting AYP have to do with students with disabilities not meeting the standards. Depending on the disability, this is actually quite normal. My grandson with autism can do the academics in his second grade class, but I don't know that he would pass a test because his reading is not up to standard.

NT made the AYP in all other categories. Of course, AYP keeps being raised in percentage so you can never meet a moving target.

[linicx]

According to the State, and I did talk to one of the senior staff, Illinois does not include the "no child left behind" children in its Report Card analysis. I specifically asked about it because of the large number of schools that are supposedly "failing" the children.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by linicx

Does it really come down to the all mighty dollah?. I've looked at high schools across three states. Edge, you singled out a high school that serves one of the most exclusive communities in America as a prime example of a golden school in a uber-conservative 96% White/Native American community.

Most children in America will not attend an Ivy League prep school. Most will never set foot in one, and most have no idea they even exist.

Despite the $30,000 spent on each pupil, despite teachers with 13 years experience and $100K salaries, despite a high success rate, and despite a 4% low income group, New Trier failed to meet APY. Illinois Interactive Report Card

New Trier Twp leans conservative, but I would never characterize it by being "uber-conservative" by any means.

the following shows a far more politically balanced NT Twp than in days of yore:

Election results show a bluer New Trier, local Dem leader says — Wilmette & Kenilworth news, photos and events — TribLocal.com