New Trier Township High School climbed two spots to No. 8 among Illinois public high schools in Niche's 2027 rankings, released Monday, Sept. 28.
The school held the No. 10 spot in the 2026 cycle. Its district, New Trier Township High School District 203, landed No. 4 nationally among all school districts, trailing only Glenbrook High School District 225, Roslyn Union Free School District in New York and Syosset Central School District in New York.
Four North Shore private schools also earned top-25 spots statewide. North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka placed No. 3 among Illinois private high schools. Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette came in at No. 20, Loyola Academy in Wilmette at No. 21 and Christian Heritage Academy in Northfield at No. 22, according to Patch, which compiled the Illinois results.
All five local schools received an overall A+ grade from Niche.
What changed in the methodology
Niche dropped SAT and ACT scores from its formula this year, citing the declining role of standardized tests in college admissions. For private schools, the platform added a new School Accreditation Score that measures a school's investment in third-party quality review, according to a Niche press release. Niche also split several existing rankings into separate public and private versions, including Best Schools for the Arts, Most Diverse Schools, Best College Prep Schools and Best Teachers.
The 2027 cycle analyzed 93,000 public schools, 30,000 private schools and 11,000 districts nationwide, drawing on government data and more than 3 million reviews from students, parents and teachers.
School-by-school highlights
New Trier earned A+ marks in academics, college prep, teachers, clubs and activities, administration, sports, food and resources. Diversity remained a B. The school offers 30 Advanced Placement classes and a Grammy Award-winning music program with 22 orchestras, ensembles and choirs, according to its Niche profile. State testing data shows 88% proficiency in reading and 86% in math.
North Shore Country Day, the independent JK-12 school in Winnetka founded in 1919, scored A+ in academics and college prep and an A in diversity.
Loyola Academy, the Jesuit school in Wilmette drawing students from more than 90 zip codes, earned A+ marks in academics, college prep, clubs and sports.
Regina Dominican, the all-girls Catholic school in Wilmette, scored A+ in academics and college prep. Its Class of 2024 received $17.9 million in offered college scholarships.
Christian Heritage Academy, a PK-12 college-preparatory school in Northfield, earned A+ in academics and college prep and an A in diversity.
How New Trier's superintendent views rankings
When Niche released its 2026 rankings on Sept. 22, New Trier Superintendent Peter Tragos told the New Trier News he was skeptical of the exercise. "I don't put a lot of stock in the rankings," Tragos said. "They're an incomplete measure of school quality."
Tragos pointed to New Trier's adviser program, arts and athletics offerings, and student-adult relationships as strengths that no formula captures.
Niche founder and CEO Luke Skurman said in a statement that the 2027 updates aim to give families more ways to evaluate schools beyond test scores. The full Illinois public and private high school rankings are live on Niche's website.
