Newsweek and the Washington Post have released their rankings of high schools, and provide some vindication for Maine East High School in Park Ridge and Niles West High School in Skokie, which were ignored when U.S. News & World report released its ratings of best high schools in Illinois earlier this month.

Earlier: U.S. News & World ranks Maine South 29th in Illinois

Maine South High School was ranked 29th in Illinois on the U.S. News & World list and 25th in Illinois on the Washington Post list, but did not make the Newsweek list. 

Maine East made the Washington Post list, coming in at number 38 in Illinois, but made neither of the other two. Students from Niles, Morton Grove, Park Ridge and Glenview attend Maine East. 

Niles West was ranked 51st in Illinois by the Washington Post and 916th in the nation by Newsweek, which listed the nation's top 1,000 high schools. Students from Niles, Morton Grove, Skokie and Lincolnwood attend Niles West. 

Neither Niles North, Maine East or Maine South made the Newsweek list.

The three lists all depend in part on the number of advanced subject tests taken by students at the schools, as well as other variables. The tests can be either Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate.

The Washington Post's Challenge Index is based on dividing the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2010 by the number of graduating seniors, according to the Post. The Post noted that while the index is "not a measure of the overall quality of the school, the rating can reveal the level of a high school’s commitment to preparing average students for college."

According to Newsweek, its list is based on six components provided by school administrators: graduation rate (25 percent), college matriculation rate (25 percent), AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student (25 percent), average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP/IB/AICE scores (10 percent), and AP courses offered per student(5 percent).

On the Web

Newsweek's "America’s Best High Schools 2012"

Washington Post "The High School Challenge"

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