Joliet West High School has been recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026–2027 Best High Schools rankings, released Aug. 18. 

The annual rankings evaluated approximately 27,000 eligible public high schools nationwide, with nearly 18,000 schools receiving a numerical rank. 

U.S. News based the 2026–2027 Best High Schools rankings on six indicators of school quality: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance and graduation rate. College readiness was measured using the proportion of 12th graders who took AP or IB exams and the proportion who earned a qualifying score, an AP score of 3 or higher or an IB score of 4 or higher. U.S. News produced the rankings in coordination with RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm. 

The recognition follows a year of growth in college-level coursework across the district. During the 2025–26 school year, 1,351 students took a combined 2,056 Advanced Placement exams across JTHS’s 24 AP course offerings, and 892 students earned a qualifying score of 3 or higher, up from 705 the year before. Students also earned more than 4,000 dual-credit college credits through partnerships with Joliet Junior College, the University of St. Francis, Lewis University and the College of DuPage. Both campuses also earned AVID Schoolwide Site recognition this year, a designation that reflects college-and-career readiness strategies embedded in instruction for every student, not only those enrolled in the AVID elective. 

Joliet West ranked 219th in Illinois and No. 5,586 nationally, improving from its national rank of No. 6,696 last year. The national ranking places Joliet West among the top 40% of public high schools nationwide, earning the school U.S. News Best High School status for 2026–2027. 

“Our improvement in the national rankings for the third straight year reflects the work our teachers and students put into raising the bar every day,” said Tecara Parker, principal of Joliet West High School. “From the growth in our Advanced Placement participation to earning AVID Schoolwide Site recognition, we are seeing real results from our focus on college and career readiness.” 

District leadership pointed to the results as evidence of a broader effort across the district. 

“This achievement highlights our district’s strong academic standards and college readiness programs, including Advanced Placement, Dual Credit, and a variety of Career and Technical Education courses,” said Dr. Karla Guseman, superintendent of Joliet Township High School District 204. “Every student arrives with different strengths and different needs, and JTHS has built a system of support—from multilingual services to special education to credit recovery, so that all of our students have what they need to succeed. JTHS is fortunate to have dedicated staff, outstanding students, engaged families and strong community partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for our students.” 

More information about the rankings and Joliet West’s full profile is available at U.S. News Best High Schools. 

About Joliet Township High School 
Joliet Township High School served 6,621 students during the 2024–25 school year, according to the district’s Illinois School Report Card. Of those students, 69.2% were classified as low income, 24.8% were English learners and 15% received services through an Individualized Education Program.