These 5 public high schools were recently ranked the best in St. Clair County
Niche, a school ratings and reviews site, has released its latest rankings of schools from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
In Illinois, it rated more than 700 public high schools, 14 of which are in St. Clair County.
The site’s methodology for its public high school rankings includes the following seven weighted factors:
An academics grade, which is worth 60% and based on state assessment proficiency, college enrollment data and survey responses from parent and students
A culture and diversity grade, which is worth 12.5% and based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses from parent and students
Parent/student surveys on overall experience, which are worth 10% and scored on a scale of one to five
A teachers grade, which is worth 10% and based on teacher salary and absenteeism, state test results and survey responses from parent and students
A clubs and activities grade, which is worth 2.5% and based on expenses per student and survey responses from parent and students
A resources and facilities grade, which is worth 2.5% and based on expenses per student, staffing and survey responses from parent and students
A sports grade, which is worth 2.5% and based on the number of sports, participation and survey responses from parent and students
New this year, Niche removed all SAT- and ACT-related factors from its rankings to reflect the decreasing emphasis on standardized testing in college admissions. While test-optional college admissions initially began as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, colleges are continuing the practice.
With the schools ranked, Niche then assigns a letter grade based on how each school performs compared to other schools, using a predetermined distribution.
Sixty percent of a high school’s ranking is determined by its academic grade, about a fifth of which is based on proficiency — or how students perform on standardized state testing for reading and math. The grade does not take into account a school’s academic growth, which indicates progress students are making on those state tests.
Many argue that academic growth, or a hybrid of growth and proficiency, is a better metric of a school’s performance than proficiency alone.
To ensure consistency across all schools in the country, Niche uses the most recent school proficiency data available from the U.S. Department of Education, which has a delay due to the way it checks and processes data. Niche’s 2024 rankings rely on proficiency data from the 2020-21 school year. The 2023 rankings used proficiency data from the 2018-19 school year, since the Department of Education didn’t release data for the 2019-20 school year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Like with the elementary and middle schools, the reading and math proficiency rates at the top five public high schools in St. Clair County decreased from the 2023 rankings that relied on 2018-19 school year data to the 2024 rankings relying on 2020-21 school year data. Reading proficiency rates decreased by an average of 6% and math by an average of 11%.
Here’s how the top five public high schools in St. Clair County compare, according to Niche. The top four in the 2024 rankings below are the same as they were in the 2023 rankings. Fifth place, however, changed.
5. Collinsville High School (Collinsville 10)
Grades: B overall, B- academics, B teachers, A clubs and activities, B sports, B- resources and facilities, A diversity, B college prep, B- administration, B- food
Collinsville High School moved up a spot from sixth place in the 2023 rankings to fifth place in the 2024 rankings.
The school has 1,956 students from ninth to twelfth grades with a student-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. The average teacher salary is $56,544.
According to state test scores, 21% of students were at or above proficiency in reading for the 2020-21 school year (down from 28% for the 2018-2019 school year), and 16% were at or above proficiency in math (down from 21%).
4. Belleville East High School (Belleville 201)
Grades: B+ overall, B academics, B+ teachers, A- clubs and activities, B sports, B+ resources and facilities, A diversity, B college prep, B administration, B- food
Belleville East High School didn’t move and remains in fourth place.
The school has 2,560 students from ninth to twelfth grades with a student-teacher ratio of 16-to-1. The average teacher salary is $67,771.
According to state test scores, 30% of students were at or above proficiency in reading for the 2020-21 school year (down from 34% for the 2018-19 school year), and 23% were at or above proficiency in math (down from 33%).
3. Belleville West High School (Belleville 201)
Grades: B+ overall, B academics, A- teachers, A- clubs and activities, A- sports, B resources and facilities, A diversity, B college prep, B administration, B- food
Belleville West High School didn’t move and remains in third place.
The school has 2,269 students from ninth to twelfth grades with a student-teach ratio of 19-to-1. The average teacher salary is $68,835.
According to state test scores, 26% of students were at or above proficiency in reading for the 2020-21 school year (down from 29% for the 2018-19 school year), and 19% were at or above proficiency in math (down from 27%).
2. Mascoutah High School (Mascoutah 19)
Grades: A- overall, A- academics, B+ teachers, A clubs and activities, A- sports, B resources and facilities, B+ diversity, B college prep, A- administration, B+ food
Mascoutah High School didn’t move and remains in second place.
The school has 1,211 students from ninth to twelfth grades with a student-teacher ratio of 16-to-1. The average teacher salary is $53,989.
According to state test scores, 46% of students were at or above proficiency in reading for the 2020-21 school year, and 39% were at or above proficiency in math (both down from 50% for the 2018-19 school year).
1. O’Fallon High School (O’Fallon 203)
Grades: A overall, B+ academics, A teachers, A clubs and activities, A- sports, B resources and facilities, A- diversity, B+ college prep, B administration, C+ food
O’Fallon High School didn’t move and remains in first place.
The school has 2,533 students from ninth to twelfth grades with a student-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. The average teacher salary is not indicated.
According to state test scores, 40% of students were at or above proficiency in reading for the 2020-21 school year (down from 52% for the 2018-19 school year), and 32% of students were at or above proficiency in math (down from 53%).
This story was originally published September 28, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
