2023 Best Public High Schools in DeKalb County

• DeKalb Community Unit School District No. 428, IL•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.42 out of 5  239 reviews

Senior: This school is pretty opportunistic. There’s so many opportunities for you to expand your passion, and if you don’t have one it won’t be hard finding one. Everyone is accepting of one another. The teachers actually enjoy their job and actually enjoy teaching students the curriculum. DHS also tries its best to make sure there’s no financial barriers for any students. Trips, food, school supplies etc. are often times funded by the school, which is really nice if you ask me. They even make sure you aren’t prevented from learning while at home. No internet? No problem the school provides those students with hotspot boxes. This school really is a excellent place to be, and anybody would have zero problems trying to be accepted or even stand out.... Read 239 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,931

• Student-teacher ratio —

• Sycamore Community School District 427, IL•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.84 out of 5  147 reviews

Senior: I have had an overall very positive experience over the past 4 years at Sycamore High School. They offer a wide variety of classes that are both in person and online. They have a lot of options for classes of the arts that are all very successful as well as many equally successful sports programs. They also offer and encourage the participation in a lot of after school clubs and activities. The only thing I would recommend them to change is the funding of the arts programs, they are amazing programs but more recent growth in interest has lead to spacing issues.... Read 147 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 1,201

• Student-teacher ratio —

• Hinckley Big Rock Community Unit School District No. 429, IL•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.35 out of 5  37 reviews

Senior: I have been in this school district since Kindergarten. It is a great school district. I've always felt safe in where I was at with excellent friends. The teachers are nice and welcoming. Every grade is welcoming to the upcoming Freshman and help them feel like they belong here.... Read 37 reviews

• grade B

• Students 209

• Student-teacher ratio —

• Genoa Kingston Community Unit School District No. 424, IL•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.63 out of 5  54 reviews

Senior: What I liked about Genoa-Kingston Highschool is how the teachers are always ready to help when needed. The classes are on the smaller side, giving us students the ability to receive help and build relationships with the teachers. At Genoa students have various academic achievement opportunities. Gk also helps students to become college prepared by offering students opportunities to take higher level classes, along with guidance when choosing and applying for colleges. Genoa-Kingston's athletics are amazing in my opinion. The coaches keep the teams motivated and positive throughout the season and are always helping improve the athlete's abilities.... Read 54 reviews

• grade B

• Students 519

• Student-teacher ratio —

• Sandwich Community Unit School District No. 430, IL•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.3 out of 5  117 reviews

Senior: Personally, being part of such a tight-knit community has played a major role in my development as a leader in the community and has set me up in a tremendous position to succeed later on in life. Teachers never fail to let students know that if they ever need help somebody will be there to help them. I have created many strong bonds with the faculty and know that if I ever need a recommendation letter, that someone is more than willing to write one. This has allowed me to flourish in the classroom and has given me a direct path into my future. Go Indians!... Read 117 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 596

• Student-teacher ratio —

• Somonauk Community Unit School District No. 432, IL•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.85 out of 5  67 reviews

Senior: Somonauk High School is a small school so community is important and everyone knows everyone. If you need help then there is something for everyone. Teachers are very involved in your academic success and due to the small class size there is a lot of opportunity for one-on-one academic aid. The sad thing about it being a small school is that the options for study and extracurricular is very limited so you can't advance in certain areas of study as much as a larger school might. Due to the teacher shortage there has been recent issues with the math department for example the AP Statistics teacher, despite the whole AP test being done with calculator, is yet to teach the students how to do any of the problems with their calculator. This has caused the class to be severely and extremely unprepared for the upcoming test. We are also a very secure school so students aren't let in the hallway with out passes and the doors are regularly checked to be closed and locked by a staff member.... Read 67 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 264

• Student-teacher ratio —

• Indian Creek Community Unit School District No. 425, IL•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.32 out of 5  62 reviews

Alum: My experience at Indian Creek High School was a very good one. It was encouraged to be involved in a lot of activities, making it easy to catch up when I got to college. Their award-winning educational system was challenging but fair. I see room for improvement in their facilities, but that is to be anticipated in a rural area. There could also be more involvement with arts programs.... Read 62 reviews

• grade C+

• Students 268

• Student-teacher ratio —

• Hiawatha Community Unit School District No. 426, IL•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 2.9 out of 5  10 reviews

Senior: Hiawatha is a very small community, but it is very strong. Being an outsider, it is hard to get accepted as everyone knows everyone already, but that is the fun of it. I have had great teachers, who I have had for multiple years, and they are great. Small community string.... Read 10 reviews

• grade C

• Students 229

• Student-teacher ratio —