District 88 receives 'America's Most Challenging High Schools' and 'Top High Schools' honors

District 88 is proud to announce Addison Trail and Willowbrook have been named as “Top High Schools” by Newsweek and as “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” by The Washington Post. This is the second consecutive year both schools have received both honors in the same year.

“The Washington Post and Newsweek are two of the most substantial rankings with regard to school performance, and we’re proud to have both of our schools recognized by both of these credible sources for the second consecutive year,” said Dr. Scott Helton, District 88 Superintendent. “Our staff, administrators, Board of Education, parents, students and community members work hard to help our students succeed inside the classroom and beyond, and these recognitions are a result of those efforts. Our mission is to work for the continuous improvement of student achievement, and we’re thrilled that these awards show we are accomplishing that mission.”

Newsweek’s “Top High Schools” ranking system uses six indicators culled from school surveys to compare public high schools in the U.S., with graduation and college acceptance rates weighed most heavily. Other criteria includes college-level courses and exams, percentage of students with free or reduced lunch, as well as SAT and ACT scores – another mark of how well a school prepares students for college. District 88 was recently informed Addison Trail and Willowbrook have been ranked in the top 735 schools nationwide for 2014. Addison Trail has received this honor since 2009, and Willowbrook has received this honor since 2008. For more information about the “Top High Schools” ranking, go to http://tinyurl.com/my6nhod.

The Washington Post’s “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” ranks schools through an index formula that’s a ratio of the number of college-level tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. A ratio of 1.000 means the school had as many tests as graduates. This past spring, District 88 was informed Addison Trail and Willowbrook ranked in the top 6 percent of U.S. public high schools for 2014. For details about the challenge, go to washingtonpost.com/highschoolchallenge. Columnist Jay Mathews implemented this national ranking system for high schools, which formerly was in Newsweek, and District 88 has been ranked in his challenge index for seven consecutive years (since 2008).

“Willowbrook has a deep tradition of excellence, and these recognitions are another example of how our school and community live the Warrior Code,” said Willowbrook Principal Dan Krause.

Addison Trail Principal Adam Cibulka said Addison Trail is thrilled to receive these awards.

“It’s an honor for all of our stakeholders to be recognized for their dedication,” Cibulka said. “These awards demonstrate the Blazer Pride that is shown in our building and in the community each and every day.”