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Thanks everyone for all the info! I'd love more advice on North/Northwest burb high schools from experienced parents, teachers, former students, etc.
Here is my dilemna: Assuming that your college-bound student has strong skills (and parental support) in academics and athletics, do you think it's better they attend a large, highly competitive high school (e.g. Stevenson, New Trier) OR Would your child have more opportunity to shine if they attended a smaller high school with students of more diverse academic backgrounds (i.e. school has lower overall test results, but still has lots of AP classes, good athletics, etc.).
Would welcome any advice as this is a big move for our family.
I attended a large, highly competitive high school and now teach at one, and having had a good experience with both I'm biased toward that end of the spectrum. Larger schools can offer more extra-curricular activities and a wider variety of classes, plus they usually pay their teachers better which in turn attracts higher quality teachers. Larger schools are also less clique-y because the more students there are the more likely your child is to find people like him/her.
The schools in the North/Northwest suburbs that offer the most AP classes are Barrington (22), Deerfield (21), Glenbrook North (20), Highland Park (20), Lake Forest (22), Libertyville (26), New Trier (22), and Stevenson (26). If you want to look at smaller schools with a lot of APs and a strong athletic program I'd suggest Libertyville, Barrington, and Glenbrook North.
I teach at Stevenson so if you have any specific questions about that school I'd be happy to answer them.
We have been looking at most of the schools you listed. Libertyville and Lake Forest are probably too far north. I just spoke to a friend with kids in Barrington and found out the elem. schools are using the Chicago Math program which we dislike. Since our kids are excelling with more traditional math, that may rule out Barrington.
So, we're left with Deerfield, Glenbrook North, Highland Park, New Trier, and Stevenson. I am going to start looking at the elementary and middle schools in these districts.
Since your such a great resource, could you please answer a few more questions:
1. Can you recommend any elem./mid. schools that seem to best prepare kids for Stevenson? I heard the Kildeer/Long Grove schools are strong. Or, are many of the successful H.S. students coming from a private school or homeschool background? If so, which private schools?
2. Do you know if the elem. schools have gifted pull-out programs? I heard they are able to do a more individualized learning plan for each student.
3. Since the school is so large, is it very difficult to make varsity sports teams (particulary basketball and soccer)? Or, do some sports have a no-cut policy?
4. Of the high schools we're looking at, are there any that seem to have stronger math and science programs, clubs, and resources?
Thanks for all your help with this. I really appreciate it!
In New Trier Township it is extremely difficult to make sports teams. In elementary school many choose programs like AYSO or Chicago Wind Soccer Club. Most teams cut. Most private schools do not. Winnetka offers the Winntka Basketball Association for Washburne and Skokie students who cannot make it for the school team. They play against private schools.
The section of Lake Forest near Old Elm & Green Bay Rd is arguably closer to the Loop than many parts of the Stevenson Township which is considerably further west, so you may want to check that side of town in LF (it's a stone's throw from the Highland Park border). Out of all the towns mentioned, Wilmette I'm sure would have the best commute to the city when needed. With Sheridan Road leading down to the Lake Shore Drive as an option (plus the Linden CTA station, plus the Metra), there are many ways to avoid the jammed up, construction-ridden Edens (94) expressway from here. And you get the New Trier district (HS) along with it.
So, we're left with Deerfield, Glenbrook North, Highland Park, New Trier, and Stevenson. I am going to start looking at the elementary and middle schools in these districts.
Since your such a great resource, could you please answer a few more questions:
1. Can you recommend any elem./mid. schools that seem to best prepare kids for Stevenson? I heard the Kildeer/Long Grove schools are strong. Or, are many of the successful H.S. students coming from a private school or homeschool background? If so, which private schools?
2. Do you know if the elem. schools have gifted pull-out programs? I heard they are able to do a more individualized learning plan for each student.
3. Since the school is so large, is it very difficult to make varsity sports teams (particulary basketball and soccer)? Or, do some sports have a no-cut policy?
4. Of the high schools we're looking at, are there any that seem to have stronger math and science programs, clubs, and resources?
Thanks for all your help with this. I really appreciate it!
You're welcome
1) The highest proportion of students that place into advanced classes come from Twin Groves (district 96) and Daniel Wright (district 103). The weakest middle schools are West Oak (district 76) and Fremont (district 79), but since I doubt you're looking at Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Hawthorn Woods, or the northernmost part of Long Grove, you don't have to worry about those schools. The majority of Stevenson students (I'd guess at least 90%) come from public middle schools. There are a few students from private schools, usually St Mary's in Buffalo Grove, and homeschooled students are rare.
2) Most of the elementary teachers I know teach in district 102, so I can only tell you about the gifted program there. In grades 3-4 it's a pull-out program during math lessons for advanced math. In grades 5-8 it's a pull-out for enrichment - kids learn extra things not related to what they're learning in class. This is good and bad, because if kids are missing class they should be getting a more in-depth version of what their class is learning, but the extra stuff does prepare them for high school. As an example, in 8th grade they have a Shakespeare unit where they study Romeo & Juliet and then take a field trip downtown to watch a play of it. This is great preparation for reading Romeo & Juliet in 9th grade English at Stevenson, except that the accelerated classes read Julius Caesar instead.
In district 96, the gifted program starts in 1st grade, but that's the extent of my knowledge about it. In every middle school that feeds to Stevenson, gifted students and students who do well in math take pre-algebra in 6th grade instead of the regular math so that when they get to Stevenson they start in Algebra II accelerated or honors instead of Algebra I and eventually take AP Calculus if they choose to take 4 years of math (only 3 are required).
3) It is difficult to make teams at the varsity level, but because the school is large there are several levels of most sports, so making a team isn't that difficult. For girls, basketball and soccer are either cut or no cut depending on how many girls show up to try out. There are five levels of basketball and of soccer. For boys, it's more competitive but they keep adding more levels of basketball, I think there are six now, and there are five levels of soccer. Sports that are always no cut are track, cross country, and water polo.
4) I'm not a math or science teacher so I can't comment on curriculum specifics, but Stevenson has very strong math and science programs. For the past fourteen years, which is as long as I've been teaching here, Stevenson has placed in the top 5 in the regional math competition. New Trier and Glenbrook North are sometimes up there as well. New Trier usually wins the state Science Olympiad. As for course offerings, New Trier and Stevenson have the same AP math and science courses, but New Trier has a wider variety of non-AP courses.
Stevenson sends teachers to the AP conference every year, and has teachers on the committees that discuss what should be on the exams and that grade the exams. Stevenson's teachers also present at the AP conference. Last year, we led four presentations, plus one that was led by the woman who was in charge of our AP program and is now our principal. New Trier sent teachers to the conference but was not one of the two other Illinois high schools to have teachers presenting. Stevenson also sends teachers to local and national subject-level conferences and has teachers presenting at them. I go to the NCTE conference every year and teachers from Stevenson are always leading at least one presentation. This year we're leading six presentations, teachers from Glenbrook North are leading two, teachers from Highland Park are leading two, and a teacher from New Trier is leading one of ours with us. I think these conferences are really important because teachers from all over the country are learning what we do so they can implement it in their schools - we must be doing something right.
I think these conferences are really important because teachers from all over the country are learning what we do so they can implement it in their schools - we must be doing something right.
Thanks for all the details on Stevenson. It really helps. Sounds like a fantastic school. Another question I have is - Since the school has such a large # of academically gifted kids, would it be more difficult to:
1. Be placed in an AP class vs. at a smaller school
2. Achieve a high GPA (e.g. Are grades on a curve?)
Also, for college admissions, does having attended Stevenson with say a 3.2 GPA weigh the same as attending a smaller HS with the same or maybe higher GPA?
The section of Lake Forest near Old Elm & Green Bay Rd is arguably closer to the Loop than many parts of the Stevenson Township which is considerably further west, so you may want to check that side of town in LF (it's a stone's throw from the Highland Park border). Out of all the towns mentioned, Wilmette I'm sure would have the best commute to the city when needed.
I love LF but my hubby has one mere request for this move - he has to be a "reasonable" distance from the Loop and also O'hare as he travels several times a week. He thinks LF is too far from O'hare. He also once thought Highland Park would be too tough of a commute, but I reminded him that one of his favorite spots - Ravinia - is there so now it's not such a bad idea.
Next, I need to figure out the rush hour drive times from these towns to O'hare. I think some of the towns (e.g. Long Grove) in the Stevenson dist. wouldn't be too bad (probably could take 53 S to 90). I'm worried about 94 on the North Shore though. Do you know any drive times off the top of your head? I'll also search this forum for this info.
Thanks for all the details on Stevenson. It really helps. Sounds like a fantastic school. Another question I have is - Since the school has such a large # of academically gifted kids, would it be more difficult to:
1. Be placed in an AP class vs. at a smaller school
2. Achieve a high GPA (e.g. Are grades on a curve?)
Also, for college admissions, does having attended Stevenson with say a 3.2 GPA weigh the same as attending a smaller HS with the same or maybe higher GPA?
1) Not at all. Because we have so many AP classes and so many teachers teaching them, even students who are placed in the regular college prep track get to take them. I think the current statistic is that 63% of Stevenson students take at least one AP class during high school, but I'll have to double-check that.
2) Colleges definitely recognize that a 3.2 GPA from Stevenson means much more than a 3.2 from a smaller or less competitive school. It's harder for students to have a high class rank - a 3.7 puts a student just barely in the top third of their class - but the accelerated and honors classes have weighted GPAs. An A in a regular class is worth 4.0, in an accelerated class it's worth 4.5, and in an honors or AP class it's worth 5.0.
1) An A in a regular class is worth 4.0, in an accelerated class it's worth 4.5, and in an honors or AP class it's worth 5.0.
Thanks, it's been sooooo long since I've been in H.S. I'd forgotten how the GPA's work I think this area will be a good fit for us. We're going to start looking at houses in Dist. 96.
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