Oak Forest High School in Bremen High School District 228 is among thousands of public high schools in the country to rank in the 2023 U.S. News Best Public High Schools list, according to a news release from U.S. News.
U.S. News reviewed nearly 25,000 schools, with 673 among the ranks in Illinois. Oak Forest High School ranked at 171 in Illinois, and 5,124 in National Rankings.
According to U.S. News, schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college. Read more about how U.S. News ranks the Best High Schools.
“These rankings reflect the culmination of our collective efforts and signify our on-going commitment to excellence in education,” said Superintendent Dr. Brad Sikora. “Bremen High School District 228 will continue to invest in innovative teaching practices, support services, and community initiatives that will further elevate the educational experience for our students!”
This year, U.S. News adjusted its calculations to account for the cancellation of state testing in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because assessment data from the 2019-2020 year was not available, U.S. News incorporated assessment results from both 2018-2019 and 2020-2021, depending on the availability for each state. For the AP and IB assessment data, U.S. News used scores from 2020-2021, the most recent school year for which this information was available.
According to the release, working with RTI International, a nonprofit research firm, U.S. News assessed schools on the following six factors:
College readiness, based on the proportion of 12th grade students who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam (30% of ranking).
State assessment proficiency, based on aggregated scores on state assessments that students may be required to pass for graduation (20%).
State assessment performance, based on whether performance on state assessments exceeded expectations given the school's proportion of underserved students (20%).
Underserved student performance, based on how Black, Hispanic and low-income students performed on state assessments compared with those who are not underserved in the state (10%).
College curriculum breadth, based on proportions of 12th grade students who took and earned a qualifying score on AP and/or IB exams in multiple content areas (10%).
Graduation rate, based on the proportion of students who entered ninth grade in 2017-2018 and graduated four years later (10%).