Four Crystal Lake High Schools Named To Most Challenging List

The Washington Post named each of District 155’s four high schools to the national list of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools.”  Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South and Prairie Ridge High Schools placed in the top 10 percent, out of about 22,000 school districts across the country.

Rankings were based on the number of students, number of Advanced Placement tests given, the percent of students who qualify for subsidized lunches and graduating seniors’ AP test scores.

“Every day our teachers and staff challenge our students to achieve higher standards.  Our talented staff is focused on preparing our students for a successful future,” said Dr. Johnnie Thomas, District 155 superintendent.

All four high schools also ranked among the most challenging schools in the state of Illinois.

School	2014 State Rank	2015 State Rank
Cary-Grove	64	60
Crystal Lake Central	69	66
Crystal Lake South	Not Ranked	63
Prairie Ridge	62	41

In November, the College Board also named District 155 to the 5^th Annual AP District Honor Roll. This is the third year in a row that District 155 has been named to the AP District Honor Roll.  The honor roll recognizes districts for participation and performance on the Advanced Placement exams over the past three years. The prestigious list includes only 547 school districts from the U.S. and Canada.