Is Niles West High School a good school?

Niles West High School ranks 95 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Niles West High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 2,615 students attended Niles West High School.

What is the racial makeup of Niles West High School?

Students at Niles West High School are 39% White, 32% Asian, 17% Hispanic, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Niles West High School?

Niles West High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Clarence E Culver School Elementary : Fairview South Elementary School Elementary : Madison Elementary School Elementary : Park View Elementary School Elementary : Rutledge Hall Elementary School Elementary : Thomas Edison Elementary School Elementary : Todd Hall Elementary School Middle : Lincoln Hall Middle School Middle : Lincoln Junior High School

Niles West High School

Summary:

Niles West High School is a public high school located in Skokie, Illinois, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,609 students. The school is part of the Niles Township High School District 219, which is ranked 82 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Niles West High School consistently ranks among the top 100-150 high schools in Illinois, with a current ranking of 95 out of 697 schools. The school's performance on standardized tests, such as the SAT and ISA, is generally higher than the state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, 35.4% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in SAT Mathematics, compared to the state average of 26.1%. Niles West High School's performance is also strong compared to its district peers, with Niles North High School (another school in the same district) ranking even higher at 64 out of 697 schools. The school has maintained a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 91.8% to 94.7% over the past five years, which is consistently higher than the state average. However, Niles West High School has experienced a gradual increase in chronic absenteeism, from 23.5% in 2019-2020 to 26.5% in 2023-2024, which is an area of concern.

When compared to nearby schools, Niles West High School performs well compared to its immediate neighbor, Niles North High School. However, when compared to the highly-ranked Evanston Township High School, which is just a few miles away, Niles West High School lags behind in some areas, such as SAT English Language Arts proficiency. The nearby Mather High School and Taft High School, which are part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299, have significantly lower academic performance and higher rates of chronic absenteeism and dropout compared to Niles West High School.

Detail:

Public 9-12

5701 Oakton St
Skokie, IL 60077-2630

(847) 626-2510

District: Niles Township HSD 219

SchoolDigger Rank:
95^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $28,960

Feeder schools for Niles West High School:

Elementary:	Clarence E Culver School
	Fairview South Elementary School
	Madison Elementary School
	Park View Elementary School
	More...
	Rutledge Hall Elementary School
	Thomas Edison Elementary School
	Todd Hall Elementary School
Middle:	Lincoln Hall Middle School
	Lincoln Junior High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.5

Number of students: 2,615

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.6%

Asian:

32.2%

Hispanic:

17.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 27.2%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Niles West High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Niles West High School ranks better than 86.4% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 84.5. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Niles West High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Niles West High School has the largest high school student body size in the Niles Township HSD 219 School District. Student population at Niles West High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (38.6%), Asian (32.2%), Hispanic (17.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Niles West High School is 13.5, which is the highest among 4 high schools in the Niles Township HSD 219 School District! (See more...)

Compare Niles West High School employs 193 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Niles West High School is $28,960, which is the 2^nd highest among 2 high schools in the Niles Township HSD 219 School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Niles West High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Niles West High School 95^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Niles West High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Niles Township HSD 219:

SchoolDigger ranks Niles Township HSD 219 82^nd of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Niles West High School

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Rank History for all students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	81.07	84^th	586	85.7%
2004	76.59	111^th	592	81.3%
2005	75.42	124^th	590	79.0%
2006	82.82	79^th	596	86.7%
2007	79.22	112^th	612	81.7%
2008	77.70	124^th	624	80.1%
2009	77.36	134^th	632	78.8%
2010	73.64	152^nd	643	76.4%
2011	79.46	115^th	655	82.4%
2012	75.57	152^nd	665	77.1%
2013	76.99	147^th	670	78.1%
2014	78.36	138^th	670	79.4%
2015	56.80	223^rd	614	63.7%
2016	69.53	115^th	643	82.1%
2017	87.27	63^rd	642	90.2%
2018	86.00	73^rd	647	88.7%
2019	86.17	83^rd	701	88.2%
2021	87.68	80^th	688	88.4%
2022	82.87	99^th	699	85.8%
2023	81.06	110^th	699	84.3%
2024	84.50	95^th	697	86.4%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	72.89	42^nd	165	74.5%
2021	60.79	60^th	160	62.5%
2022	67.86	49^th	170	71.2%
2023	74.41	41^st	163	74.8%
2024	45.60	90^th	182	50.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	48.89	46^th	151	69.5%
2019	78.30	10^th	183	94.5%
2021	54.20	49^th	189	74.1%
2022	66.84	32^nd	205	84.4%
2023	49.33	79^th	217	63.6%
2024	50.55	78^th	248	68.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	61.26	78^th	374	79.1%
2019	68.23	72^nd	473	84.8%
2021	59.22	113^th	453	75.1%
2022	56.39	115^th	493	76.7%
2023	81.62	63^rd	476	86.8%
2024	93.18	41^st	482	91.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	82.39	44^th	585	92.5%
2019	81.50	59^th	639	90.8%
2021	93.63	31^st	611	94.9%
2022	86.14	45^th	626	92.8%
2023	79.19	78^th	644	87.9%
2024	86.40	58^th	639	90.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	84.13	80^th	620	87.1%
2019	80.04	105^th	665	84.2%
2021	84.42	86^th	639	86.5%
2022	82.00	104^th	658	84.2%
2023	72.93	143^rd	656	78.2%
2024	80.58	111^th	664	83.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	74.10	57^th	428	86.7%
2024	91.96	30^th	429	93.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	84.98	70^th	619	88.7%
2019	88.79	66^th	675	90.2%
2021	87.14	77^th	653	88.2%
2022	80.57	101^st	664	84.8%
2023	85.36	73^rd	668	89.1%
2024	84.52	88^th	668	86.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	45.07	79^th	132	40.2%
2019	38.02	87^th	130	33.1%
2021	39.70	86^th	135	36.3%
2022	30.63	106^th	141	24.8%
2023	29.99	102^nd	134	23.9%
2024	26.30	105^th	137	23.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	71.22	42^nd	253	83.4%
2019	50.17	110^th	299	63.2%
2021	44.85	113^th	281	59.8%
2022	75.27	39^th	294	86.7%
2023	52.93	103^rd	301	65.8%
2024	63.07	62^nd	299	79.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	75.94	45^th	291	84.5%
2019	71.79	61^st	317	80.8%
2021	64.03	81^st	317	74.4%
2022	74.38	60^th	335	82.1%
2023	49.55	144^th	333	56.8%
2024	78.45	48^th	336	85.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Niles West High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	79.45	96^th	548	82.5%
2019	81.76	87^th	552	84.2%
2021	77.86	106^th	553	80.8%
2022	70.86	132^nd	560	76.4%
2023	77.54	102^nd	557	81.7%
2024	77.81	108^th	554	80.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, June 3, 2011

I have had three grandchildren in niles west excellent school.

Children don't drop out of niles west and they hold their teachers in high

respect. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Niles West High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1423	4	342	44	6	n/a	n/a	0	1819
1989	1364	4	362	49	5	n/a	n/a	0	1784
1990	1246	2	366	63	8	n/a	n/a	0	1685
1991	1208	5	403	72	13	n/a	n/a	0	1701
1992	1250	3	458	88	25	n/a	n/a	0	1824
1993	1255	8	486	100	12	n/a	n/a	0	1861
1994	1269	22	540	109	47	n/a	n/a	0	1987
1995	1358	27	662	119	5	n/a	n/a	0	2171
1996	1358	27	662	119	5	n/a	n/a	0	2171
1997	1353	35	683	130	0	n/a	n/a	0	2201
1998	1312	28	722	120	0	n/a	n/a	0	2182
1999	1328	43	747	118	0	n/a	n/a	0	2236
2000	1358	51	719	135	1	n/a	n/a	0	2264
2001	1413	47	722	139	0	n/a	n/a	0	2321
2002	1498	53	760	182	1	n/a	n/a	0	2494
2003	1498	53	760	182	1	n/a	n/a	0	2494
2004	1475	68	787	182	1	n/a	n/a	0	2513
2005	1423	78	813	186	3	n/a	n/a	0	2503
2006	1381	102	813	189	4	n/a	n/a	17	2506
2007	1352	128	824	217	5	n/a	n/a	49	2575
2008	1244	129	797	225	4	n/a	n/a	82	2481
2009	1265	139	801	258	2	n/a	n/a	110	2575
2010	1209	139	807	242	2	n/a	n/a	121	2520
2011	1184	136	725	308	4	2	120	0	2479
2012	1221	159	742	330	3	3	107	0	2565
2013	1243	166	751	330	3	5	100	0	2598
2014	1220	135	748	353	2	7	99	0	2564
2015	1235	141	772	356	3	3	6	0	2516
2016	1171	132	813	370	4	1	16	0	2507
2017	1117	97	820	399	6	3	43	0	2485
2018	1066	107	824	371	5	5	57	0	2435
2019	1068	116	834	352	4	7	83	0	2464
2020	1102	110	827	324	3	9	90	0	2465
2021	1119	139	854	348	6	6	90	0	2562
2022	1079	153	835	375	5	5	105	0	2557
2023	1063	151	856	411	5	6	117	0	2609
2024	1010	178	842	451	2	4	125	3	2615

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Niles West High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1819	113.8	15.9	n/a
1989	1784	112.6	15.8	n/a
1990	1685	110.9	15.1	n/a
1991	1701	113.2	15.0	n/a
1992	1824	117.9	15.4	n/a
1993	1861	119.6	15.6	n/a
1994	1987	120.6	16.5	n/a
1995	2171	128.9	16.8	n/a
1996	2171	128.9	16.8	n/a
1997	2201	130.2	16.9	n/a
1998	2182	136.8	16.0	n/a
1999	2236	137.5	16.3	n/a
2000	2264	144.6	15.7	n/a
2001	2321	146.0	15.9	n/a
2002	2494	179.7	13.9	0
2003	2494	179.7	13.9	0
2004	2513	167.7	15.0	0
2005	2503	174.6	14.3	0
2006	2506	179.7	13.9	0
2007	2575	165.0	15.6	0
2008	2481	154.0	16.1	0
2009	2575	178.2	14.5	0
2010	2520	178.3	14.1	0
2011	2479	177.5	13.9	0
2012	2565	182.2	14.0	31.4
2013	2598	n/a	n/a	32.8
2014	2564	174.6	14.6	36.3
2015	2516	174.0	14.4	32.6
2016	2507	172.0	14.5	30.8
2017	2485	174.9	14.2	31.5
2018	2435	170.8	14.2	30.6
2019	2464	170.1	14.4	30.1
2020	2465	168.3	14.6	29
2021	2562	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	2557	164.9	15.5	27.2
2023	2609	184.2	14.1	n/a
2024	2615	193.0	13.5	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Niles West High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1819	113.8	15.9	n/a
1989	1784	112.6	15.8	n/a
1990	1685	110.9	15.1	n/a
1991	1701	113.2	15.0	n/a
1992	1824	117.9	15.4	n/a
1993	1861	119.6	15.6	n/a
1994	1987	120.6	16.5	n/a
1995	2171	128.9	16.8	n/a
1996	2171	128.9	16.8	n/a
1997	2201	130.2	16.9	n/a
1998	2182	136.8	16.0	n/a
1999	2236	137.5	16.3	n/a
2000	2264	144.6	15.7	n/a
2001	2321	146.0	15.9	n/a
2002	2494	179.7	13.9	0
2003	2494	179.7	13.9	0
2004	2513	167.7	15.0	0
2005	2503	174.6	14.3	0
2006	2506	179.7	13.9	0
2007	2575	165.0	15.6	0
2008	2481	154.0	16.1	0
2009	2575	178.2	14.5	0
2010	2520	178.3	14.1	0
2011	2479	177.5	13.9	0
2012	2565	182.2	14.0	31.4
2013	2598	n/a	n/a	32.8
2014	2564	174.6	14.6	36.3
2015	2516	174.0	14.4	32.6
2016	2507	172.0	14.5	30.8
2017	2485	174.9	14.2	31.5
2018	2435	170.8	14.2	30.6
2019	2464	170.1	14.4	30.1
2020	2465	168.3	14.6	29
2021	2562	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	2557	164.9	15.5	27.2
2023	2609	184.2	14.1	n/a
2024	2615	193.0	13.5	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Immunization Rates