LHS was recently ranked very respectably in academics within the state and the nation as a part of several annual reports, the most prominent publications being U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post.
In U.S. News and World Report’s ranking, LHS was ranked 25 in the state and 609th in America. The score was mostly based on college readiness, math proficiency, reading proficiency, and the school’s teacher-to-student ratio. In addition, LHS Assistant Principal Ray Albin stated that the number of AP classes offered, the number of AP courses taken, the percentage of threes, fours, and fives (on the AP test), the graduation percentage, the attendance percentage, and PSAE scores were also taken into consideration.
Libertyville also ranked well in the Washington Post’s annual report. LHS was placed 15th in the state and 569th in the nation. This publication’s grading was based on “the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year,” according to the Washington Post.
Mr. Albin takes pride in the scores and recognizes the reasons for the success. “We have bright and motivated staff and students, and we’re getting fabulous results. It’s that combination,” he said.
Mr. Albin went on to say that Libertyville has “teachers that want to see students succeed and students that want to succeed.” With that combination, Libertyville has accomplished a respectable position on such ranking reports.
In addition, Mr. Albin acknowledges the value of community and parental support that goes into the education in Libertyville. According to Mr. Albin, “we have parents that value education,” which supplies a lot of motivation.
However, Mr. Albin recognizes how school rankings can be manipulated, and refuses to participate in such activity if it won’t benefit LHS or its students and staff. For example, Mr. Albin expressed that Stevenson High School pushes students to take at least one AP course in their high school career, regardless of if the student meets the challenge. As these reports grade partially based on the number of AP classes taken, this boosts schools like Stevenson’s score on the list, but doesn’t necessarily prove the school is more effective in educating its students.
Therefore, when Mr. Albin and other administrators review the annual reports, they look at “who’s doing it [education] the best and why. From our perspective, who’s above us, and [we see] what we can learn,” said Mr. Albin. However, LHS administrators recognize and appreciate the somewhat skewed system from these reports, and are vested in the best interests of LHS and its students, rather than just looking for a good score. According to Mr. Albin, “we’re going to do what’s right for us.”
