Hinsdale Township HSD 86

Hinsdale Township HSD 86 has two public high schools serving grades 9–12: Hinsdale Central High School and Hinsdale South High School. In 2025–26, both schools were above the state proficiency rate in all nine reported test comparisons, but their results differed substantially. Central’s average across the nine results was 85%, compared with South’s 64%; the clearest overall takeaway is that both schools outperform the state, while Central leads South consistently.

Hinsdale Central was the standout, scoring higher than Hinsdale South on every test; the gaps ranged from 10 to 31 percentage points. The widest split was grade 11 ACT math, where 86% of Central students were proficient versus 55% at South, compared with 40% statewide. South’s results were lower than Central’s, but still exceeded the state rate on all nine tests. SchoolDigger ranked Central 12th of 620 schools (98th percentile, 5 stars) and South 67th of 620 (89th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–26.

Across the nine matched tests, South’s average rose by 2 percentage points from 2024–25 to 2025–26, while Central’s was essentially unchanged after rounding; the state average also edged down, so the schools’ average advantage over the state grew by about 1 point. Results varied by test, rather than improving everywhere. Other differences may help families compare the schools: Central enrolled 2,445 students and had a student-teacher ratio of 14, while South enrolled 1,370 and had a ratio of 12.6. In 2021–22, 6% of Central students and 19% of South students were free/reduced lunch eligible. These are useful contrasts, not explanations for the achievement gap.