2 Woodstock high schools named in top 100 in Illinois

The two Woodstock high schools in Woodstock School District 200 were named among the top 100 in Illinois in the state’s U.S. News and World Report rankings of high schools, district officials said Tuesday.

Woodstock High School was ranked No. 57, the best in McHenry County, and Woodstock North was ranked No. 98 out of 715 high schools, officials said.

In a district news release, Superintendent Mike Moan said “We’re extremely proud of our staff and students who keep striving for excellence year after year. This dedication starts in the earliest grades and continues throughout high school, where we offer incredible learning opportunities. Meanwhile, our high school students keep rising to these challenges.”

High school students can pick from 70 dual credit and Advanced Placement courses in District 200; more than half of high school students have taken at least one AP exam and nearly 60% of students have earned at least 12 college credits by the time they graduate.

Art Vallicelli, principal of Woodstock High School, said in the release: “We have a lot of confidence in our Blue Streaks and place a great deal of trust in our teachers to help them achieve their goals. We expect excellence from ourselves and our students every day. I believe that’s reflected in our ranking this year.”

Woodstock High School Principal Art Vallicelli, left, welcomes students back on the first day of school Aug. 13, 2025. (Photo provided by Woodstock School District 200)

District officials said U.S. News & World Report looks at data including student demographics, assessment testing, graduation rates and AP performance from high schools across the nation. The rankings came out Tuesday.

“Some factors that contributed to both Woodstock and Woodstock North’s high rankings included the schools’ College Readiness Illinois rankings of 37th and 80th, respectively. Both had high Graduation Rate rankings at 47th and 64th, while Woodstock North had a state ranking of 77 for its College Curriculum Breadth Index,” according o the release.

The College Curriculum Breadth Index is calculated from the percentage of a school’s 12th graders who took and the percentage who earned qualifying scores on multiple AP or IB exams, according to the publication’s website.

Other McHenry County-area high schools ranked in Illinois include:

• Cary-Grove: No. 68

• Prairie Ridge: No. 87

• Crystal Lake Central: No. 102

• Crystal Lake South: No. 108

• Huntley: No. 80

• Jacobs: No. 78

• Hampshire: No. 93

• Dundee-Crown: No. 232

• Marengo: No. 175

• Richmond-Burton: No. 97

• Johnsburg: No. 202