Highland Park High School

Highland Park · IL · Twp HSD 113 · Public


AP rigor: 76th percentile nationally 23 AP courses

At a glance

Programs & features
  • 23 AP courses offered — Elite
  • 8 calculus classes · 27 physics · 23 chemistry
Academic signals
  • AP rigor: 76th percentile nationally
  • SAT/ACT participation: Top 2.7% by test-taker volume

Composed from federal CRDC offerings, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

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How Highland Park High School compares for families

Stronger-than-average college-prep profile.

  • ▸ StatewideAP rigor in the top 24% nationally with 23 AP courses.
  • ▸ LocallyIL sits right at the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math — local school quality will set your kid apart.
  • ▸ vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: Deerfield High School, Wheeling High School, Lake Forest High School and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.

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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

Academic rigor

AP + advanced-course offerings

Elite — exceptional AP + advanced course breadth

76th percentile nationally

50th 90th ↑ this school
Less rigorMore rigorMost rigor
AP courses offered
23
Math ✓ · Science ✓
Students taking AP courses
801
≈48 per 100 students · uptake, not just offerings
Advanced math classes
8
8 calculus · 0 advanced
Lab science classes
50
27 physics · 23 chemistry
Other rigor signals
No dual-enrollment or gifted program reported

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). CRDC reports what's offered + enrolled — it doesn't collect AP exam pass rates (College Board owns that data and doesn't release it school-level).

SAT / ACT participation

CRDC federal data · 2020-21

Top 2.7% by test-taker volume

50th 90th
SAT/ACT test-takers
764
11th-12th graders who took 1+ college admissions test
Test-taking intensity
46.0
takers per 100 students in grades 9-12
Compared against
18,426
US high schools reporting SAT/ACT participation

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.

‍ Teacher workforce · federal CRDC

Teacher experience & reliability

% inexperienced teachers (1st-2nd yr)
9.0%
Strong: experienced corps. New teachers rotate through but most have ≥3 years in.
% chronic teacher absence (≥10 days/yr)
21.4%
Elevated. Teacher absence directly affects classroom continuity and student outcomes.

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2017-18 — the most recent vintage that publishes per-school teacher quality fields; the 2020-21 sweep had them suppressed). "Inexperienced" = teachers in their first or second year. "Chronic absence" = teachers absent 10+ days/year.

Your state's public flagship

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

44%
admit rate
$16,004
in-state tuition/yr · $35,124 out-of-state
1270–1510
SAT 25–75 · ACT 29–34

The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $14,355/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.

See the full University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign profile → Estimate your odds with your scores →

Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.

Chronic absenteeism

Share of students absent 15+ days
12.6%
Roughly average. The national post-COVID rate climbed to ~16% nationwide; this school is in the middle of the pack.
Students absent 15+ days
228
Federal definition: absent (excused or unexcused) for at least 15 of ~180 school days — about 10% of the school year.

Why this matters to enrollment: Chronic absence is the strongest early indicator of dropout, transfer-out, and family disengagement. A school's absenteeism trend forecasts its enrollment trend 1-3 years out.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020–2021. Rate = students chronically absent ÷ 2021 total enrollment.

Counselor capacity

Student : Counselor
140:1
Below the ASCA 250:1 recommendation — strong capacity for college planning, course selection, and student supports.
Counselor FTE
11.9
Full-time-equivalent school counselors on staff.
Teacher FTE
250
Full-time-equivalent classroom teachers.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020-2021. Counselor ratio = the school's most recent total enrollment ÷ counselor FTE. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250:1 maximum; the US national median across schools with on-staff counselors is roughly 430:1.

Enrollment trend & projection

Grade 12 went from 505 in 2021 to 466 in 2024 — over 3 years.
-7.7%

Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).

If the recent trend holds…

At its recent rate of -2.6%/year, projecting from 2024's 1,661 students:

2025
1,618
2027
1,534
2029
1,455

≈ 206 fewer students by 2029 — a real revenue/relevance risk worth getting ahead of.

An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.

Revenue at risk

At $39,199 per student in district revenue, the 206 students projected to be lost by 2029 represent ≈ $8,074,994/year in funding at risk.

District total revenue ÷ enrollment, NCES F-33. Public funding largely follows enrollment, so a shrinking class is a recurring budget hit.

Most similar nearby high schools

The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.

SchoolTypeMilesHS enrollmentTrend
Deerfield High School
Deerfield
Public 2.7 1,437 -3.7%
Wheeling High School
Wheeling
Public 8.4 1,743 +0.1%
Lake Forest High School
Lake Forest
Public 5.3 1,359 -7.4%
Glenbrook North High School
Northbrook
Public 5.9 2,111 +2.9%
Vernon Hills High School
Vernon Hills
Public 7.9 1,419 -7.1%
Libertyville High School
Libertyville
Public 10.6 1,777 -2.9%
Niles North High School
Skokie
Public 9.5 1,999 -3.1%
Buffalo Grove High School
Buffalo Grove
Public 10.0 2,021 +2.5%

At a glance

JSON · Using this page with an AI assistant

Highland Park High School is a public high school in Highland Park, IL, enrolling 1,661 students in grades 9-12 in 2024.

Enrollment is down 8% from 2021 to 2024.

It offers 23 AP courses, a course-rigor profile stronger than 76% of U.S. high schools (federal Civil Rights Data Collection).

764 students took the SAT or ACT in the most recent federal count, a participation level above 97% of U.S. high schools.

It has about 140 students per school counselor.

13% of its students were chronically absent in 2020.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics (enrollment), the federal Civil Rights Data Collection and EDFacts, state education agencies where named, and the school's own published documents where named.

Questions families ask

How many AP courses does Highland Park High School offer? Highland Park High School offers 23 AP courses, a course-rigor profile stronger than 76% of U.S. high schools (federal Civil Rights Data Collection).

How many students attend Highland Park High School? Highland Park High School is a public high school in Highland Park, IL, enrolling 1,661 students in grades 9-12 in 2024.

Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

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