South suburbs with top-rated schools (Chicago, Aurora: top school, university, calculation)

[chet everett]

...I can call him auntie!

Puhleze !


The reason that even "nicer" suburbs have under performing schools that turn out a depressingly large number of students unprepared to succeed in college is that too many people are too willing to make excuses.

The US News assessment give Lincoln-Way East a "college readiness index" of 27.7 Lincoln Way Chsd 210 | Illinois | Best High Schools | US News
New Trier is 51.0 New Trier Twp Hsd 203 | Illinois | Best High Schools | US News
HF is 37.4. Homewood Flossmoor Chsd 233 | Illinois | Best High Schools | US News

Hinsdale Central is 57.3 Hinsdale Central High School in HINSDALE, IL | Best High Schools | US News


Lyons Township is 34.5 Lyons Township High School in LA GRANGE, IL | Best High Schools | US News

Originally Posted by tjake

Those two schools are comparable based on "individual" educational opportunities available at Lincoln-Way east and Homewood-Flossmoor. As most objective rankings such as US News also consider these two schools to have excellent academic programs. As well as the college board that administers AP testing recognize both schools for having excellent AP programs. I would say the difference in test pass rates when comparing to new trier can solely be attributed to new trier having exclusively wealthy district boundaries with almost no lower income students. If you subtract the lower income students test scores from Homewood-Flossmoor or Lincoln-way East. I am sure you would see very comparable pass rates with new trier.

[tjake]

There isn't much of a difference if you are objectively comparing these top performing public high schools. New trier has a college readiness score of 51. Meaning 51 percent of new trier graduating 12th graders took and passed an AP exam. That still leaves 49 percent of New Trier graduating 12th graders who do not meet this college readiness standard. Which goes back to my point that when using objective standards the differences between these schools are miniscule and the quality of the "individual" educational experience is very similar. And more so determined by the individual student and there own willingness to study AP level course work while attending these high schools. If you subtract the lower income students test scores from Homewood-Flossmoor or Lincoln-way East. I am sure you would see very comparable pass rates with new trier. You have close to half of the student body at new trier graduating without having full college readiness. And there is zero percent of disadvantaged students attending new trier.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The reason that even "nicer" suburbs have under performing schools that turn out a depressingly large number of students unprepared to succeed in college is that too many people are too willing to make excuses.

Yes this is a problem. However, as the hypothetical harried, overworked parent of an 8th grader, this is may not necessarily the best time in life to start educational crusades. If the parent can find a school where his/her individual child has the opportunity to get a good education, that may be more than sufficient. Not every family has the ability to economically segregate themselves into the Hinsdales and North Shores of the country.

[tjake]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Yes this is a problem. However, as the hypothetical harried, overworked parent of an 8th grader, this is may not necessarily the best time in life to start educational crusades. If the parent can find a school where his/her individual child has the opportunity to get a good education, that may be more than sufficient. Not every family has the ability to economically segregate themselves into the Hinsdales and North Shores of the country.

Amen to that. Not to mention median home prices in hinsdale and north shore communities are well over a million dollars. So you aren't even comparing apples to apples. You really would expect to see more of a performance gap with New Trier or Hinsdale students considering the privileged backgrounds of most of the students attending these schools. But it just isn't there. Other than with the exception of the economically disadvantaged students which these wealthy schools have none of. Or shall we say they have below a certain percentage of disadvantaged students. So the state allows these wealthy schools to skirt the requirement of reporting the test results of there economically disadvantaged students. I don't even know why the state fudges the numbers like this in there misguided attempt to be politically correct. Schools like New Trier should report the results of the economically disadvantaged students just like the majority of other schools have to.

[gasgangrene]

From the comments above, it sounds like Hinsdale Central is the only high school in that area comparable to New Trier. Is the commute from anywhere in that district to Oak Lawn <20min?

[tjake]

Originally Posted by gasgangrene

From the comments above, it sounds like Hinsdale Central is the only high school in that area comparable to New Trier. Is the commute from anywhere in that district to Oak Lawn <20min?

If you truly want the best and a high school that is uniformly excellent academically amongst all students attending. You would be better served sending your son or daughter to a top private school. Where admissions exams and other financial requirements weed out the under performing students. Not a public high school.

[chet everett]

First the median home price in Hinsdale is $879k, while not cheap, it is far below $1M. Including adjacent Clarendon Hills, most of which shares the highly rated D181 elementary schools and Hinsdale Central lowers the median signficantly. There are also portions of Willowbrook and Westmont that are part of the Hinsdale Central attendance area and homes in these areas have median prices of pretty modest $180k & $129k (large number of condos drags down average) respectively. Homes for Sale in Westmont, IL | Redfin and Homes for Sale in Willowbrook, IL | Redfin

When it comes to students classified as low income it is true that Hinsdale Central has a modest percentage of such students, 4.3% in the most recent report card, though that is more than doubled from 1999. Meanwhile the "performance gap" is not consistently increasing or decreasing, but rather as might be expected with a small sample of students responds positively some years and negatively others -- http://goo.gl/Owzo9 It is not at all correct that these students are not part of the school's mandated test results / report card.

New Trier (which would not be convenient to Oak Lawn at all...) has only 3.9% low income students and the performance gap is VERY modest indeed --- http://goo.gl/4jHks , much less than at HF or Lincoln-Way.

Facts are facts.

Originally Posted by tjake

Amen to that. Not to mention median home prices in hinsdale and north shore communities are well over a million dollars. So you aren't even comparing apples to apples. You really would expect to see more of a performance gap with New Trier or Hinsdale students considering the privileged backgrounds of most of the students attending these schools. But it just isn't there. Other than with the exception of the economically disadvantaged students which these wealthy schools have none of. Or shall we say they have below a certain percentage of disadvantaged students. So the state allows these wealthy schools to skirt the requirement of reporting the test results of there economically disadvantaged students. I don't even know why the state fudges the numbers like this in there misguided attempt to be politically correct. Schools like New Trier should report the results of the economically disadvantaged students just like the majority of other schools have to.

[chet everett]

...a wide portion of Hinsdale. The spots closest to the 294 entrance at Ogden (a full interchange w/o an on ramp toll booths or transponders) would ensure the fastest travel times.


BTW given the success of public high schools in the area there just are not very many private high schools to choose from and those that do exist are choosen largely for the religous / social component. The actual data about how many students that go on to selective colleges from the private high schools is rather hard to come by and the results are at best mixed. So long as your budget will allow you to find an acceptable home "in district" it is really unlikely that one need look at private schools...

http://goo.gl/yg8lE

Originally Posted by gasgangrene

From the comments above, it sounds like Hinsdale Central is the only high school in that area comparable to New Trier. Is the commute from anywhere in that district to Oak Lawn <20min?

[cubssoxfan]

What is the methodology behind the College Readiness Score? I looked but couldn't find it.
It is a head scratchier because all D214 schools have a VERY similar curriculum. Yet Hersey is ranked far higher than Wheeling. I think standardized teat scores come into play and the large minority population, which doesn't test as well as Caucasian and Asian populations, drags down the test scores.
Township High School District 214 | Illinois | Best High Schools | US News

[tjake]

Originally Posted by chet everett

...a wide portion of Hinsdale. The spots closest to the 294 entrance at Ogden (a full interchange w/o an on ramp toll booths or transponders) would ensure the fastest travel times.


BTW given the success of public high schools in the area there just are not very many private high schools to choose from and those that do exist are choosen largely for the religous / social component. The actual data about how many students that go on to selective colleges from the private high schools is rather hard to come by and the results are at best mixed. So long as your budget will allow you to find an acceptable home "in district" it is really unlikely that one need look at private schools...

http://goo.gl/yg8lE

The students coming from top private high school trump top public high schools in selective university admissions. WSJ.com . There isn't one public non charter high school on that list. And almost all appear to be private high schools. If you want nothing but the best. Located near oak lawn this would clearly be The University of Chicago Lab School located in Hyde Park. Followed by the Illinois Math and Science Academy located in Aurora. I am sure college preparedness is at or very near 100 percent at these top private schools.