Thornridge High School

Set in Dolton, Illinois, Thornridge High School is a middle-of-the-pack high school, part of Thornton Twp HSD 205. It hosts 969 students across grades 9 through 12.

Within Thornton Twp HSD 205, which oversees 3 schools and 4,509 students, Thornridge High School is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Thornridge High School shows that nearly all students (89%) are Black. Other groups include 8% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 22% Black, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Thornridge High School has 63 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.4:1. The state averages around 13.8:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 86% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Cook County's rate of about 66%.

With demographic context factored in, Thornridge High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 21.8%; this one delivers 11.6%.

In the broader community, Cook County reports that the typical household earns roughly $83,498 per year, about 43% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Cook County runs 1406 public schools (combined enrollment of about 697,934 students), of which Thornridge High School is one.

The closest other public school is Franklin Elementary School, roughly 0.6 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Thornridge High School comes 8th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 20.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Thornridge High School has decreased 17%, going from 1,172 students in 2018 to 969 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment edged down from 96% to 89% over that span. Class-load math has rose: from 11.7:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.