Elmhurst Schools Rank Among Best in Area, State

York High School and three Elmhurst elementary schools are among the top-performers in the Chicago area and state, according to rankings published last month by the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Both newspapers used 2012 Illinois School Report Card data in determining the rankings for York High School. York was ranked 28th in the Chicago area and 32nd in the state by the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Chicago Tribune ranked York High 29th among schools in DuPage, Kane, Cook, Lake, Will and McHenry counties.

Both newspapers used 2012 Illinois School Report Card data in ranking the top elementary, middle and high schools in the area. The Sun-Times utilized a statistical method called "standardizing" to analyze the "scale score" of every reading and math score from the Prairie State Achievement Test, which is administered each April to high school juniors.

The Chicago Tribune used each school's combined PSAE test scores. 

York did not achieve Adequate Yearly Progress in math and reading as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act, according to the schools' 2012 Illinois School Report Cards.

Among the conditions for making AYP in 2012 are having at least 95 percent of each student group tested for reading and math, at least 85 percent meeting or exceeding standards in reading and math standards and an 82 percent graduation rate.

At York, 71 percent of all students met or exceeded standards in reading, and 76.5 percent met or exceeded standards in math. Students with disabilities did achieve the school's "safe harbor" target in reading.

Elementary school rankings are based on schools that tested at least two grades, third to fifth, on state standardized tests. Jefferson ranked 48th, Lincoln 49th and Field School 53rd.