Date: 5/21/08
Contact: Kathy Beal
Illinois State University’s University High School is the only high school in Illinois outside of the Chicago area to make the cut of Newsweek’s America’s Top Public High Schools. U High was listed 1,098 out of 1,400 in the country.
“We are thrilled to be included in the list of top high schools in the nation,” said Robert Dean, superintendent of the laboratory schools. “This recognition speaks to the quality of the students and staff at University High School. It’s a pleasure to serve students who are so committed to learning that they seek out the most challenging courses available to them. And, it’s an honor to work with colleagues who emphasize academic rigor. “
The Newsweek and Washington Post Challenge Index measure a public high school’s effort to challenge its students. The formula is to divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests a school gives by the number of seniors who graduate in May or June. Tests taken by all students, not just seniors, are counted. The rating is not a measurement of the overall quality of the school but illuminates one factor that many educators consider important.
All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way.
