Is Thornton Township High School a good school?

Thornton Township High School ranks in the bottom 21.7% of Illinois high schools.

How many students attend Thornton Township High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,628 students attended Thornton Township High School.

What is the racial makeup of Thornton Township High School?

Students at Thornton Township High School are 69% African American, 29% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into Thornton Township High School?

Thornton Township High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Bryant Elementary School Elementary : Holmes Elementary School Elementary : Lincoln Elementary School Elementary : Martin L King Elementary School Elementary : Maya Angelou Elementary School Elementary : Park Elementary School Elementary : Riverdale School Elementary : Roosevelt Elementary School Elementary : Washington Elementary School Elementary : Whittier Elementary School Middle : Brooks Middle School Middle : Roosevelt Junior High School Middle : Rosa L Parks Middle School Middle : Washington Junior High

Thornton Township High School

Summary:

Thornton Township High School is a public high school located in Harvey, Illinois, serving 1,628 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Thornton Township High School District 205, which is ranked 780 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Thornton Township High School faces significant academic challenges, with only 7.1% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in SAT Mathematics, compared to the state average of 26.1%, and only 9.2% proficient or better in SAT English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 31.1%. The school also struggles with low graduation rates, with an 80.5% four-year graduation rate, and high dropout rates, at 4.2%. Additionally, the school has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 49.7%, which is significantly higher than the state average. These issues are likely exacerbated by the fact that 95.09% of Thornton Township High School's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a predominantly low-income student population.

While Thornton Township High School's performance is generally lower than its nearby counterparts, Thornwood High School and Thornridge High School, which are also part of the Thornton Township High School District 205, the school's Hispanic students and English Language Learner students perform relatively better than the overall student population. Additionally, the school has a relatively high spending per student, at $26,756 in the 2022-2023 school year, which does not seem to translate into improved academic outcomes.

Detail:

Public 9-12

15001 Broadway Ave
Harvey, IL 60426-2272

(708) 225-4150

District: Thornton Township HSD 205

SchoolDigger Rank:
546^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $29,246

Feeder schools for Thornton Township High School:

Elementary:	Bryant Elementary School
	Holmes Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Martin L King Elementary School
	More...
	Maya Angelou Elementary School
	Park Elementary School
	Riverdale School
	Roosevelt Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School
	Whittier Elementary School
Middle:	Brooks Middle School
	Roosevelt Junior High School
	Rosa L Parks Middle School
	Washington Junior High

Student/teacher ratio: 13.8

Number of students: 1,628

Racial breakdown:

African American:

68.6%

Hispanic:

28.7%

Asian:

1.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95.1%

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Compare Thornton Township High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Thornton Township High School ranks worse than 78.3% of high schools in Illinois. It also ranks first among 3 ranked high schools in the Thornton Township HSD 205 School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 20.57. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Thornton Township 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 Thornton Township High School has the largest high school student body size in the Thornton Township HSD 205 School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Thornton Township High School is $29,246, which is the lowest among 3 high schools in the Thornton Township HSD 205 School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Thornton Township High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Thornton Township High School 546^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Thornton Township High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Thornton Township HSD 205:

SchoolDigger ranks Thornton Township HSD 205 780^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Thornton Township High School

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Rank History for all students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	7.08	530^th	586	9.6%
2004	6.45	536^th	592	9.5%
2005	1.71	562^nd	590	4.7%
2006	10.09	529^th	596	11.2%
2007	6.68	555^th	612	9.3%
2008	19.70	522^nd	624	16.3%
2009	13.39	549^th	632	13.1%
2010	9.85	562^nd	643	12.6%
2011	6.23	591^st	655	9.8%
2012	8.41	592^nd	665	11.0%
2013	4.83	616^th	670	8.1%
2014	6.45	608^th	670	9.3%
2015	18.66	525^th	614	14.5%
2016	17.44	550^th	643	14.5%
2017	8.97	589^th	642	8.3%
2018	11.56	578^th	647	10.7%
2019	12.94	609^th	701	13.1%
2021	16.24	580^th	688	15.7%
2022	13.90	600^th	699	14.2%
2023	14.08	604^th	699	13.6%
2024	20.57	546^th	697	21.7%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	53.49	35^th	151	76.8%
2019	34.20	114^th	183	37.7%
2021	40.52	78^th	189	58.7%
2022	49.25	76^th	205	62.9%
2023	51.49	67^th	217	69.1%
2024	28.56	158^th	248	36.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.03	233^rd	374	37.7%
2019	29.55	306^th	473	35.3%
2021	29.28	270^th	453	40.4%
2022	31.21	286^th	493	42.0%
2023	23.79	360^th	476	24.4%
2024	20.75	377^th	482	21.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	18.26	511^th	585	12.6%
2019	22.20	518^th	639	18.9%
2021	23.24	495^th	611	19.0%
2022	20.10	529^th	626	15.5%
2023	21.61	526^th	644	18.3%
2024	31.93	419^th	639	34.4%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2022	28.47	46^th	98	53.1%
2023	28.07	55^th	104	47.1%
2024	68.16	24^th	125	80.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	12.93	550^th	620	11.3%
2019	13.37	569^th	665	14.4%
2021	17.77	525^th	639	17.8%
2022	16.83	540^th	658	17.9%
2023	12.63	572^nd	656	12.8%
2024	18.58	534^th	664	19.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	30.70	278^th	428	35.0%
2024	27.00	261^st	429	39.2%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2021	8.38	22^nd	22	0.0%
2023	12.43	19^th	22	13.6%
2024	8.54	23^rd	23	0.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	10.50	567^th	619	8.4%
2019	12.92	589^th	675	12.7%
2021	14.18	570^th	653	12.7%
2022	11.43	610^th	664	8.1%
2023	15.65	574^th	668	14.1%
2024	23.26	495^th	668	25.9%

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

Rank History for African American students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.59	162^nd	253	36.0%
2019	33.85	174^th	299	41.8%
2021	36.93	153^rd	281	45.6%
2022	31.54	188^th	294	36.1%
2023	28.88	213^th	301	29.2%
2024	34.71	174^th	299	41.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Thornton Township High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	20.69	245^th	291	15.8%
2019	21.40	260^th	317	18.0%
2021	21.39	268^th	317	15.5%
2022	28.79	244^th	335	27.2%
2023	29.73	239^th	333	28.2%
2024	47.89	147^th	336	56.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Hispanic 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: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, November 18, 2011

I am a Thornton Alumni Class of 1991.
Thornton was and still consist of mediocre teachers disciplining students with few if any great teachers inspiring students. I understand being professional but this school is cold and soulless. The only time the school showed any interest is when I was absent. (The school receives funding for student attendance). The school even managed to stay open during asbestos abatement back in 1988.
(I guess attendance took priority over air quality) .
I am combat veteran and found my time in Iraq more enjoyable. I currently work under the Department of Justice for the Federal Prison System. I would like to thank the U.S. military for my education.

A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron. ~Horace Mann Close Quote

Enrollment information for Thornton Township High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	484	1854	8	82	2	n/a	n/a	0	2430
1989	437	1960	7	85	3	n/a	n/a	0	2492
1990	388	1902	4	92	10	n/a	n/a	0	2396
1991	343	1942	7	90	14	n/a	n/a	0	2396
1992	289	2060	20	94	15	n/a	n/a	0	2478
1993	244	2234	8	89	0	n/a	n/a	0	2575
1994	205	2281	14	78	6	n/a	n/a	0	2584
1995	101	2178	13	64	2	n/a	n/a	0	2358
1996	101	2178	13	64	2	n/a	n/a	0	2358
1997	67	2069	10	82	4	n/a	n/a	0	2232
1998	51	2065	2	89	5	n/a	n/a	0	2212
1999	38	2211	3	98	3	n/a	n/a	0	2353
2000	31	2175	10	109	5	n/a	n/a	0	2330
2001	20	2136	0	109	5	n/a	n/a	0	2270
2002	15	2196	4	133	0	n/a	n/a	0	2348
2003	15	2196	4	133	0	n/a	n/a	0	2348
2004	17	2334	1	154	1	n/a	n/a	0	2507
2005	17	2315	1	157	1	n/a	n/a	0	2491
2006	11	2389	12	149	3	n/a	n/a	1	2565
2007	10	2376	20	183	0	n/a	n/a	5	2594
2008	6	2208	22	168	1	n/a	n/a	2	2407
2009	5	2229	31	180	1	n/a	n/a	3	2449
2010	4	2032	25	180	0	n/a	n/a	4	2245
2011	10	1920	12	203	1	0	14	0	2160
2012	13	1708	11	222	5	0	10	0	1969
2013	6	1520	12	243	4	0	17	0	1802
2014	7	1489	16	235	4	0	11	0	1762
2015	6	1454	20	309	4	0	5	0	1798
2016	8	1447	18	336	2	0	3	0	1814
2017	9	1457	18	361	1	0	3	0	1849
2018	6	1342	10	374	1	0	5	0	1738
2019	4	1215	19	402	7	1	2	0	1650
2020	3	1126	24	406	4	1	5	0	1569
2021	8	1179	28	460	8	2	8	0	1693
2022	4	1194	26	471	8	2	12	0	1717
2023	9	1116	21	467	2	1	12	0	1628

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 Thornton Township High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	2430	150.0	16.2	n/a
1989	2492	142.6	17.4	n/a
1990	2396	137.4	17.4	n/a
1991	2396	134.5	17.8	n/a
1992	2478	139.2	17.8	n/a
1993	2575	140.3	18.4	n/a
1994	2584	145.4	17.8	n/a
1995	2358	169.0	14.0	n/a
1996	2358	169.0	14.0	n/a
1997	2232	169.3	13.2	n/a
1998	2212	166.6	13.3	n/a
1999	2353	164.3	14.3	n/a
2000	2330	163.0	14.3	n/a
2001	2270	146.0	15.5	n/a
2002	2348	142.0	16.5	60.7
2003	2348	142.0	16.5	60.7
2004	2507	152.0	16.5	61.5
2005	2491	123.0	20.3	31.1
2006	2565	127.4	20.1	n/a
2007	2594	133.0	19.5	69.7
2008	2407	107.0	22.5	93.4
2009	2449	152.9	16.0	85.4
2010	2245	155.0	14.4	90.3
2011	2160	146.0	14.7	89.5
2012	1969	145.5	13.5	84.8
2013	1802	149.5	12.0	87
2014	1762	138.0	12.7	55.6
2015	1798	147.0	12.2	89
2016	1814	149.0	12.1	91
2017	1849	146.0	12.6	9
2018	1738	137.0	12.6	53.6
2019	1650	133.0	12.4	64.1
2020	1569	116.0	13.5	63.2
2021	1693	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1717	122.0	14.0	90.5
2023	1628	117.2	13.8	95.1

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 Thornton Township High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	2430	150.0	16.2	n/a
1989	2492	142.6	17.4	n/a
1990	2396	137.4	17.4	n/a
1991	2396	134.5	17.8	n/a
1992	2478	139.2	17.8	n/a
1993	2575	140.3	18.4	n/a
1994	2584	145.4	17.8	n/a
1995	2358	169.0	14.0	n/a
1996	2358	169.0	14.0	n/a
1997	2232	169.3	13.2	n/a
1998	2212	166.6	13.3	n/a
1999	2353	164.3	14.3	n/a
2000	2330	163.0	14.3	n/a
2001	2270	146.0	15.5	n/a
2002	2348	142.0	16.5	60.7
2003	2348	142.0	16.5	60.7
2004	2507	152.0	16.5	61.5
2005	2491	123.0	20.3	31.1
2006	2565	127.4	20.1	n/a
2007	2594	133.0	19.5	69.7
2008	2407	107.0	22.5	93.4
2009	2449	152.9	16.0	85.4
2010	2245	155.0	14.4	90.3
2011	2160	146.0	14.7	89.5
2012	1969	145.5	13.5	84.8
2013	1802	149.5	12.0	87
2014	1762	138.0	12.7	55.6
2015	1798	147.0	12.2	89
2016	1814	149.0	12.1	91
2017	1849	146.0	12.6	9
2018	1738	137.0	12.6	53.6
2019	1650	133.0	12.4	64.1
2020	1569	116.0	13.5	63.2
2021	1693	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1717	122.0	14.0	90.5
2023	1628	117.2	13.8	95.1

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