Glenbrook South ‘Surprised’ by Rankings Snub

A Glenbrook South spokeswoman told Patch Wednesday that the school was incorrectly left off a ranking of the state's top high schools.

Typically included among the area's best schools and often an attractive draw for homebuyers moving to the area, Glenbrook South did not make the cut for this year's top Illinois high schools, according to recently release rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

While many North Shore high schools, including Glenbrook North (#19), New Trier (#13), Evanston Township (#17) and both Highland Park (#12) and Deerfield High Schools (#7) were included—many of them ranked nationally—.

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When Patch reached out to Glenbrook South’s Director of Public Relations and Communications Karen Geddeis she said the school was not ranked properly.

“Given that we submitted our data for this report in September of 2011, we are surprised to find that GBS has not been properly ranked by US News and World Report,” she said. “…We are confident that if our submitted data were used in this report, GBS would be ranked among the other top performing schools in Illinois.” 

Glenbrook South officials have reached out U.S. News & World Report directly, Geddeis said, and are awaiting a response.

“Glenbrook South is a great school,” she said. “Rankings such as this are one measure, of many, by which a school can assess if its strategies are effective in helping students succeed.”

Affect of school reputation on home buying trends 

Glenview real estate agent told Patch that schools are one of the village's strongest selling points and definitely something buyers care about. But she says, rankings like these aren't necessarily deal breakers. Inerviews with other area parents and teachers are most important, she explained. 

"The average buyer puts great emphasis on academic excellence and a strong school system," Anne said. "...While the rankings are important, personal experiences and school interviews tend to influence buyer’s decisions," Dubray said. 

The rankings were released as part of the Best High School rankings, now in its fourth edition, according to the Huffington Post. To be eligible for a state ranking, a school must be a national gold or silver medal winner, neither of which was awarded to Glenbrook South. 

Drawn from a pool of 22,000 public high schools in 49 states as well as the District of Columbia, the rankings incorporate factors such as test scores, state assessments and college-level coursework, including AP or IB programs.

What do you think? Should Glenbrook South have been included as one of the state's top schools? Do you give weight to rankings like this? Share with us in the comments or sound off on Facebook!