York Community High School landed at No. 25 out of 714 public high schools in Illinois in Niche's 2027 rankings, released Monday, Sept. 28.

The ranking puts the Elmhurst school in the top 4% statewide. Niche, a school research platform, evaluated 93,000 public schools nationwide using federal and state data, school statistics and more than 3 million reviews from students, parents and teachers, Patch reported.

York's Niche profile shows strong marks across categories. Teachers and Clubs & Activities each earned an A+. Academics, College Prep, Sports and Food each received an A.

Diversity scored a B+, while Administration and Resources & Facilities each drew an A-. The profile also highlights York's more than 70 clubs and a music program Niche describes as Grammy Award-winning.

Methodology shift

One notable change this cycle: Niche dropped SAT and ACT scores from its ranking formula. The company cited a broad de-emphasis on standardized test scores in college admissions, according to its published methodology. Instead, the 2027 rankings lean on state assessment proficiency, college enrollment data, survey responses, teacher quality, diversity, extracurriculars, facilities and sports.

York's numbers

York's academic metrics, drawn from a separate District 205 announcement in August, show an 80% ACT English Language Arts proficiency rate and 68% ACT math proficiency rate. The school reported a 95% graduation rate and 82% consistent attendance rate. Enrollment tops 2,500 students.

That D205 announcement, published Aug. 24, also noted York ranked No. 3 among DuPage County high schools in a Chicago Tribune analysis. That ranking weighed ACT proficiency, academic growth, attendance and graduation rates.

What's next

Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, said in a news release that the 2027 rankings include new standalone lists for categories like Best Schools for the Arts, Most Diverse Schools and Best College Prep Schools.

"This year's rankings give families more ways to find the right fit, with updates designed to help them find schools where their children will thrive," Skurman said.

Niche updates its school rankings annually. The full list is available at niche.com.