The school offers a variety of courses, including AP courses in Macroeconomics, English, Calculus AB or BC, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, US History, American Government, and Statistics. In addition, many consumer science and industrial technology courses are offered. The school also offers a Young Adult Program for students 18–21 years of age, which is based at Parkland College.[3]
The student-teacher ratio is 16:1, average for the state.[4]
Students
The school's student composition includes 26.7% low-income students. 0.7% of student are of limited English proficiency. There is a high school dropout rate of 1.8%. The ethnic background of students includes 38% African-American, 35% White, 11% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 5% Multiracial, and 0.3% Native American.[5]
The girls tennis team won consecutive Illinois state championships in 1995 and 1996.[6]
The school's basketball team also won their first state championship game in 2009, beating Oswego 61-59. They had a repeat appearance to the state championships in 2010, taking 4th place overall.
Performance
In 2006, the school was named as one of the top 50 high schools in Illinois, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2006, students' ACT scores exceeded both the state and national averages by about 2 points.[4] In 2007, the school's scores on the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) Reading and Math tests exceeded the state averages, with around 60-65% of students meeting or exceeding state standards. Currently, the school is not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).[4]
