District 203 Continues Its Record of High Academic Achievement and Fiscal Responsibility

QualityEducation203.org annually compares the top performing Unit and High School Districts in the Chicagoland area to District 203, using composite ACT scores and operating expenses as its parameters.

For the class of 2012, students, once again, achieved the highest composite ACT score of any Unit District (25.4, a district record). There are only four High School Districts whose students achieved higher ACT scores than D203.  Of note is how much more these four districts spent than District 203. Using the most current financial information for the four districts and their feeder schools, we find the average operational expenditures per pupil is 37% more than District203.

Northfield, whose students tied with District 203 this year, spent 42% more. In the five years QualityEducation203.org has conducted this analysis there has not been a district whose students achieved equal or higher ACT scores, but spends less than District 203.

Although we use ACT scores for our benchmark, we are not implying that we feel that high ACT scores are the only indicator of a quality education. We caution that discretion should be applied when comparing districts with minor differences in scores; variances of a few tenths of a point are not statistically significant. Further, districts with higher populations of low income students face greater challenges than those with fewer low income students.

It is readily apparent that the return on the educational investment for the District 203 community is substantial. It is reflected not only in the high scores of District 203 students in state and national achievement tests such as the ACT, but also their numerous victories in academic and athletic competitions, as well as, the benefits that the extracurricular programs in athletics and the arts and sciences bring to our students and the community.

For more information, including two detailed spreadsheets, read “What is the Best Educational Value in Chicagoland?” at QE203.org