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University High School

Public Grades 9-12

19^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 620 Illinois High Schools

Better than 97% of Illinois high schools

Summary

University High School is a 624-student school serving grades 9–12 in Normal, Illinois, in the ISU Laboratory Schools district. Its clearest distinction is consistently high achievement: in 2025–2026, it led the nearby full-span high schools in every reported subject-and-grade comparison. In 11th-grade ACT results, it scored 81% in ELA, 73% in math and 79% in science, with its smallest lead over the strongest nearby school still 24 percentage points.

University’s results also stand well above state levels: its 11th-grade ACT scores were 31 points higher in ELA, 33 in math and 31 in science. The school’s results matched those of its district. Its relative soft spot is 9th-grade ELA: proficiency was 83%, compared with 89% in grade 10, and its lead over the strongest nearby result was 9 points in grade 9 versus 22 in grade 10. Other outcomes are strong: the 2025–2026 graduation rate was 97%, versus 90% statewide and 91% at Normal Community High School. Chronic absenteeism was 4%, compared with 24% statewide and 33%–38% at nearby full-span schools, including Normal Community West High School and Bloomington High School.

Recent results show improvement in PreACT math: scores rose by 6 points in grade 10 and 7 points in grade 9. ELA was mixed, rising 3 points in grade 10 but falling 7 in grade 9; changes should be compared within the same exam. SchoolDigger ranks University 19th of 620 Illinois schools, at the 97th percentile with 5 stars, the highest standing among nearby schools with current rankings; its percentile was 99th in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. Its 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 15, close to 15.1 at Normal Community and West. University reported 2% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2021–2022; YBMC Charter School was the only nearby school with the same measure and year, at 61%, while other nearby figures are from 2024–2025.

624

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

1.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2021-22) ?

98.6%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

Isu Campus Box 5300
Normal, IL 61790-5300

(309) 438-8994

District: ISU Laboratory Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.7%

Asian:

8.0%

Two or more races:

7.9%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare University High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2021 → 97th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Illinois average (78% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of Illinois high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Illinois average (90%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school78%

District avg78%

Illinois avg47%

19^th of 620

Illinois public high schools ?

Top 3%▼ down 1 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Illinois High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

56^th of 738ISU Laboratory Schools among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	96.8	19 of 620	96.9%	★★★★★
2025	97.2	18 of 698	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	99.8	11 of 697	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.8	10 of 699	98.6%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	4 of 699	99.4%	★★★★★
2021	99.5	13 of 688	98.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	99.9	2 of 187	98.9%	★★★★★
2025	99.6	8 of 323	97.5%	★★★★★
2024	99.9	7 of 299	97.7%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	89.5	7 of 124	94.4%	★★★★★
2025	86.2	10 of 148	93.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	3 of 137	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	84.9	14 of 134	89.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	2 of 141	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	94.5	6 of 135	95.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	95.7	19 of 545	96.5%	★★★★★
2025	94.5	21 of 685	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	99.3	13 of 664	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	93.9	25 of 656	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.5	9 of 658	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	98.1	21 of 639	96.7%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	87.5	32 of 366	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	99.8	5 of 333	98.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	94.2	25 of 521	95.2%	★★★★★
2025	97.9	16 of 685	97.7%	★★★★★
2024	99.9	9 of 668	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	99.2	6 of 668	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	99.5	4 of 664	99.4%	★★★★★
2021	99.8	8 of 653	98.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	20 of 130	84.6%	★★★★☆
2025	82.2	35 of 211	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	94.6	14 of 182	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	40.0	95 of 163	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	92.7	36 of 515	93.0%	★★★★★
2025	94.7	30 of 564	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	98.7	14 of 554	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.3	19 of 557	96.6%	★★★★★
2022	95.5	15 of 560	97.3%	★★★★★
2021	98.6	14 of 553	97.5%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)99th percentile~ school

Female (2026)97th percentile~ school

Male (2026)95th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)94th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)93rd percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)91st percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)85th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts80%+31 vs state

Science79%+31 vs state

Mathematics73%+33 vs state

★

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Schools Near University High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PreACT Secure English Language Arts (2026)		PreACT Secure Mathematics (2026)		PreACT Secure Science (2026)		ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2021-22)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 9th Grade	PreACT Secure English Language Arts 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Mathematics 10th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 9th Grade	PreACT Secure Science 10th Grade	ACT English Language Arts 11th Grade	ACT Mathematics 11th Grade	ACT Science 11th Grade	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
University High School	Public	9-12	Isu Campus Box 5300	Normal	61790	McLean County	ISU Laboratory Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(309) 438-8994	624	42	15.0	1.8%	441 (70.7%)	35 (5.6%)	48 (7.7%)	50 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.9%)	96.8	19^th of 620 public high schools	96.9%		97.2	18^th of 698 public high schools	97.4%	1	82.8	89.1	69.4	70.5	75.8	84.6	80.5	73.2	79.2	98.6%
McClean County Detention Center	Public	6-12	903 N Main St	Normal	61761	McLean County	McLean County Unified School District 5	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(309) 888-5550	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Eugene Field School	Public	12	412 E Cypress St	Normal	61761	McLean County	McLean County Unified School District 5	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(309) 557-4440	0	7	.0	45.5%	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										97.9%		$57,885	$8,252	$49,632
Normal Community West High School	Public	9-12	501 N Parkside Rd	Normal	61761	McLean County	McLean County Unified School District 5	No	(n/a)	No	No	(309) 557-4402	1,590	105	15.1	—	1,003 (63.1%)	252 (15.8%)	200 (12.6%)	25 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (6.9%)	54.2	253^rd of 620 public high schools	59.2%		63.7	220^th of 698 public high schools	68.5%	33	62.8	59.5	33.6	30.3	49.3	54.1	48.2	33.9	49.3	98.5%		$16,015	$340	$15,676
Bloomington Career Academy	Public	10-12	2309 E Oakland Ave Ste A	Bloomington	61701	McLean County	DeWitt/Livingstn/Logan/McLean ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(309) 829-8671	0	0	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Bloomington High School	Public	9-12	1202 E Locust St	Bloomington	61701	McLean County	Bloomington School District 87	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(309) 828-5201	1,369	100	13.6	—	572 (41.8%)	298 (21.8%)	298 (21.8%)	30 (2.2%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	169 (12.3%)	25.4	474^th of 620 public high schools	23.5%		38.7	455^th of 698 public high schools	34.8%	19	44.9	40.1	21.7	14.8	33.0	37.3	40.0	22.9	41.4	99.4%		$18,581	$597	$17,984
YBMC Charter School	Public, Charter	11-12	360 Wylie Dr Ste 305	Normal	61761	McLean County	McLean County Unified School District 5	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(309) 454-3898	16	4	4.0	61.1%	5 (31.3%)	7 (43.8%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (18.8%)								(n/a)										100%		$13,640	$00	$13,640
Safe School Program	Public	6-12	201 E Grove St Ste 300	Bloomington	61701	McLean County	DeWitt/Livingstn/Logan/McLean ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(309) 888-5120	0	0	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Regional Alop School	Public	6-12	201 E Grove St Ste 300	Bloomington	61701	McLean County	DeWitt/Livingstn/Logan/McLean ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(309) 888-5120	0	16	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Central Illinois Bridge Academy	Public	6-12	2000 Jacobssen Dr	Normal	61761	McLean County	DeWitt/Livingstn/Logan/McLean ROE	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(309) 888-5120	0	3	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about University High School

Is University High School a good school?

Yes! University High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 19^th of 620 Illinois high schools.

What is the racial makeup of University High School?

Students at University High School are 71% White, 8% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 6% African American.

How many students attend University High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 624 students attended University High School.

What district is University High School in?

ISU Laboratory Schools

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.