Given the heightened interest in New Trier High School of late, I thought it would be helpful to highlight how the school is doing both academically and financially in fulfilling its mission to educate our students.
New Trier students achieved the highest average ACT test scores of any public open enrollment high school in Illinois. Since our 2005 score of 26.8, our average 2010 ACT test has increased to 27.2. For comparison, the state and national averages are about 21. In addition, half of our students score in top 10% nationally and the top 75% of our students perform in the top 25% nationally on the ACT test. Moreover, our graduation rates are virtually 100% and over 98% attend college within the next school year.
New Trier sports teams have won more Illinois state championships than any other school in interscholastic competition history. A Grammy award-winning Music Department is ranked as one of the best in the country. New Trier High School sponsors more than 130 clubs and activities, including numerous service organizations.
While our per pupil spending is significantly higher than the state average, it is lower than every comparable adjoining high school district (Highland Park, Niles, Evanston, and Glenbrook) and Lake Forest High School. In fact, it is 9% lower than the averages of those schools, based on data from the Illinois State Board of Education as published in the Pioneer Press.
In 2010, Moody’s Investors Services again rated New Trier School District with an Aaa bond rating. At that time, only 7 other school districts in Illinois had that rating. Moody’s believes that “the District’s financial outlook will remain sound, given ample General Fund Reserves, and the District’s adherence to a policy to maintain reserve levels no less 37.5% of revenues.”
For seven years straight, New Trier has received Certificates of Achievement for excellence in financial reporting by the two main national organizations evaluating these issues. New Trier School District underspent the 2009/2010 budget by approximately $3 million due to comprehensive cost containment measures. Despite significant cuts in State of Illinois funding, we expect to have a balanced budget for 2010/2011 and add to our reserve levels this year.
The remarkable achievements highlighted above are due to many factors, including the involvement of our parents. In addition, our Board, which is comprised of unpaid volunteers from our community, works to maximize the value our students get from the resources we spend on them.
Nevertheless, the exceptional leadership of the district is primarily responsible for its continuing academic and financial success. Superintendent Linda Yonke and her very talented staff work extremely hard to maintain the standard of excellence that has been the hallmark of New Trier High School for over 100 years.
It is not possible in this short letter to tell you about all of the accomplishments of New Trier High School. Of course no institution is perfect and we consider all of our efforts a work in progress. We invite you to come to any of our board meetings, or to watch them on our website or on cable TV. Please call or email us to ask any questions you might have. Dr. Yonke, her staff or any of the members of the New Trier Board of Education would be happy to answer your questions.
New Trier is a treasure in our community, and we are proud of our record and of the involvement of our parents, faculty, staff, and the community as a whole in making our school one of the best high schools in the country.
Wendy Serrino
President, New Trier Board of Education
