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(NEXSTAR) – Choosing where to live could come down to the strength of the school district for many parents, and a new study ranks the top 50 in the nation.
Niche, an education research and rankings platform, weighed data for over 11,000 school districts for its annual selection. The rankings are based on ratings from current students, alumni and parents, along with quantitative data from the U.S. Department of Education.
The study comes at a time when young students across the country are still trying to recover from “historic” learning setbacks caused by the pandemic. After a record injection of $190 billion in federal dollars, some students’ test scores have improved but millions are still behind, a June analysis found.
“Choosing the right school for our children can have a real ripple effect on their lives — from career path and earning potential to how they’ll contribute to society,” said Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, in a press release. “Our annual K-12 rankings empower families to make informed decisions and help lay a strong foundation for their children’s futures.”
The top district overall remains unchanged for the fourth straight year — Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125 in Lincolnshire, Illinois. The district has nearly 5,000 students and received the highest possible rating for academics, teachers, clubs & activities, college prep and administration.
In fact, the greater Chicago area swept the top three spots with Cook County’s Glenbrook High School District 225 and Evanston Township High School District No. 202 in second and third, respectively.
See the top 50 districts in the country, according to Niche, below:
RankSchool DistrictCounty Metro AreaState1Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125Lake CountyChicago AreaIllinois2Glenbrook High School District 225Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois3Evanston Township High School District No. 202Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois4East Williston Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York5Syosset Central School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York6Ladue School DistrictSt. Louis CountySt. Louis AreaMissouri7Eanes Independent School DistrictTravis CountyAustin AreaTexas8Palo Alto Unified School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia9Township High School District No. 113Lake CountyChicago AreaIllinois10Jericho Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York11Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia12Hinsdale Township High School District No. 86DuPage CountyChicago AreaIllinois13San Dieguito Union High School DistrictSan Diego CountySan Diego AreaCalifornia14West Lafayette Community School CorporationTippecanoe County
Indiana15Roslyn Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York16Community High School District 128Lake CountyChicago AreaIllinois17Radnor Township School DistrictDelaware CountyPhiladelphia AreaPennsylvania18Township High School District No. 211Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois19Scarsdale Union Free School DistrictWestchester CountyNew York City AreaNew York20Half Hollow Hills Central School DistrictSuffolk CountyNew York City AreaNew York21Novi Community School DistrictOakland CountyDetroit AreaMichigan22Buford City SchoolsGwinnett CountyAtlanta AreaGeorgia23Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia24North Allegheny School DistrictAllegheny CountyPittsburgh AreaPennsylvania25Great Neck Public SchoolsNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York26Niles Township Community High School District No. 219Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois27South Texas Independent School DistrictHidalgo CountyBrownsville AreaTexas28Barrington Community Unit School District No. 220Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois29Indian Prairie Community Unit School District No. 204DuPage CountyChicago AreaIllinois30New Canaan Public SchoolsFairfield CountyNew York City AreaConnecticut31School District of ClaytonSt. Louis CountySt. Louis AreaMissouri32Tredyffrin-Easttown School DistrictChester CountyPhiladelphia AreaPennsylvania33Homewood City SchoolsJefferson CountyBirmingham AreaAlabama34Westport School DistrictFairfield CountyNew York City AreaConnecticut365Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York36Weston Public SchoolsMiddlesex CountyBoston AreaMassachusetts37Northern Valley Regional High School DistrictBergen CountyNew York City AreaNew Jersey38Princeton Public SchoolsMercer County
New Jersey39Public Schools of BrooklineNorfolk CountyBoston AreaMassachusetts40Redondo Beach Unified School DistrictLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles AreaCalifornia41Naperville Community Unit School District No. 203DuPage CountyChicago AreaIllinois42Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School DistrictLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles AreaCalifornia43Wayzata Public SchoolsHennepin CountyMinneapolis-St. Paul AreaMinnesota44Northville Public SchoolsWayne CountyDetroit AreaMichigan45Fremont Union High School DistrictSanta Clara CountySan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia46Township High School District No. 214Cook CountyChicago AreaIllinois47Herricks Union Free School DistrictNassau CountyNew York City AreaNew York48South Pasadena Unified School DistrictLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles AreaCalifornia49Northern Utah Academy for Math Engineering & Science (Nuames)Davis CountySalt Lake City AreaUtah50Elmbrook School DistrictWaukesha CountyMilwaukee AreaWisconsin(Niche)
Niche, which says its goal is to modernize the way students and families choose schools, has rankings on a number of topics when it comes to education, ranging from the top party schools to the best value colleges in America.
