Niche.com releases Top 100 public school district rankings
<span>Ranking and review site Niche.com has released its Top 100 Best Public School Districts in Illinois for 2015 and no Randolph County schools made the list.</span>
<span>According the website, Niche ranks 8,378 school districts "based upon dozens of key statistics and 4.6 million opinions from 280,000 students and parents."</span>
<span>On its Methods page, Niche said it gives 50 percent of the district's overall grade based on academics, with the rest of the categories - Administration & Policies, Food, Educational Outcomes, Health & Safety, Student Culture & Diversity, Teachers, Resources & Facilities, Extracurriculars & Activities and Sports & Fitness - weighted at 10 percent or less.</span>
<span>An additional 561 school districts received a grade, but were not eligible for ranking. Niche requires a district to have at least 85 percent of the factors to be eligible for a grade and a ranking.</span>
<span>"Sometimes larger schools have more advanced placement classes," said Chester District No. 139 Superintendent Chris Diddlebock. "It's something we're promoting a lot and and as the year goes on, you'll see more information from us on that."</span>
<span>Chester was ranked 313th by Niche with an overall grade of C. It received an A- in Sports & Fitness and a B+ in Extracurriculars.</span>
<span>"For a school our size, we offer a huge number of extracurricular activities compared to other schools," Diddlebock said. "Every district has its priorities, whether it is band or sports or academics. Different schools have different things they aim at.</span>
<span>"You're trying to compare apples to oranges."</span>
<span>Chester is looking for a new curriculum director starting with the 2015-16 school year as current Vice Principal/Curriculum Director Terri Franklin is retiring at the end of the current school year.</span>
<span>"Right now, we've improved in a lot of areas and we're ready to take the next step," Diddlebock said. "We're looking at adding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classes."</span>
<span>Southern Illinois did have a few representatives on the Niche.com Top 100 list, as Carterville Community Unit School District No. 5 ranked 44th.</span>
<span>According to the website, 88 percent of the district's 1,909 students are considered proficient in math and/or reading.</span>
<span>The Carterville district has an annual budget of $40,352,000 and is spending an average of $21,430 per student. The district received an overall A- grade, but had a C+ grade for teachers.</span>
<span>The district also received an A for Resources and Facilities and an A- for Health and Safety.</span>
<span>Further down the list, Waterloo CUSD No. 5 ranked 80th, with an overall grade of B. Student Culture and Diversity was rated a C+, while Administration and Policies was given an A-.</span>
<span>Waterloo, a district with 2,741 students attending five schools pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, has a budget of $28 million and spends an average of $10,057 per student.</span>
<span>Niche.com reportedly uses a combination of U.S. Department of Education data on proficiency levels, graduation rates, participation in advanced placement classes, standardized test scores and information from its users on which colleges graduates want to attend in compiling its rankings.</span>
<span>"Personally, I don't pay much attention to (internet rankings)," said Stephanie Mulholland, superintendent of Steeleville District 138. "It's always interesting to see the criteria they use."</span>
<span>Steeleville was ranked 259th by Niche with an overall grade of C+. The district had a B+ in Health & Safety, Bs in both Extracurriculars and Sports & Fitness and a B- in Resources and Facilities.</span>
<span>District 138 received a C+ in Academics.</span>
<span>On the subject of advanced placement, Mulholland said the district tries to offer as much dual-credit classes as it can.</span>
<span>"We don't offer AP classes because it's just not in the budget," Mulholland said.</span>
<span>Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125 in Vernon Township was the top-ranked district in the state on the Niche.com list, with an overall grade of A+. That district, which has an enrollment of 4,118 students, was rated a 4.2 out of 5 based on feedback from 587 reviews.</span>
<span>The district received A+ marks in Academics, Administration and Policies, Educational Outcomes, Extracurriculars, Food, Resources and Facilities, Sports and Fitness and Teachers categories.</span>
<span>It operates on a budget of $95 million, with an average of $22,354 per student.</span>
<span>For a complete list of the rankings visit k12.niche.com.</span>