Cary-Grove, Prairie Ridge Rank Among Top 50 Schools in State on Standardized Tests

Cary-Grove and Prairie Ridge ranked among the top 50 high schools in the state on 2013 standardized tests according to rankings posted by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Using reading and math results from the Illinois Standards Achievement Tests and the Prairie State Achievement exams taken in March and April 2013, the Chicago Sun Times compiled Top 50 lists for elementary, middle and high schools in Illinois. 

Cary-Grove ranked 37th on the list, and Prairie Ridge placed 48th. For more than 10 years, the Chicago Sun-Times has compiled its rankings of schools based on average scores on state achievement tests, not on the percentage of which schools meet state standards.

Illinois School Report Cards also were released on Thursday, Oct. 31. While the news statewide was grim for elementary and middle school levels, due to Illinois implementing more rigorous standards, the four high schools in District 155 witnessed increases on testing results.  

In Community High School District 155, 70 percent of the students met or exceeded state standards on the 2013 Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). That number is up from 65 percent in 2012, according to the Illinois Report Card website. 

Statewide, only 53 percent of high school students met or exceeded Illinois testing standards, according to the website. 

District 155's four high schools individually performed as follows:

Cary-Grove High School: 1,869 students, 76 percent met or exceeded state standards

Prairie Ridge High School: 1,586 students, 73 percent met or exceeded state standards

Crystal Lake South High School: 1,872 students, 68 percent met or exceeded state standards

Crystal Lake Central High School: 1,587 students; 64 percent met or exceeded state standards.