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What tradition at Thornwood High School should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,843
High
DISTRICT 1,503 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·THORNTON TWP HSD 205·NCES 173897003956
Thornwood High School
17101 S Park Ave, South Holland, IL 60473 · (708) 225-4701 · Cook County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,843 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 12% of Illinois public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public high schools
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
143 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.2:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
74%
1,355 students
DISTRICT 83% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 449 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 392 | 21% |
| Grade 11 | 460 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 542 | 29% |
Student demographics
31%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
15.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
29.1%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 16% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 29% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Thornwood High School
Thornwood High School's state test result (15.6% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornwood High School this school | 1,843 | 73.5% | 15.6% |
| Morgan Park High School Chicago | 1,349 | 77.9% | 26.6% |
| Simeon Career Academy High School Chicago | 1,095 | 71.0% | 14.9% |
| Cahokia High School Cahokia | 850 | 75.9% | 10.1% |
| Thornton Fractnl So High School Lansing | 1,803 | 65.8% | 26.6% |
| Thornton Fractnl No High School Calumet City | 1,425 | 77.4% | 21.4% |
Matched among Illinois high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Thornwood High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Cook County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 15.6% | #479 of 573 | #91 of 170 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,843 | #108 of 708 | #42 of 206 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #155 of 528 | #39 of 173 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 30.7% | #302 of 537 | #110 of 180 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 73.5% | #138 of 578 | #117 of 171 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +6.5% | #102 of 191 | #49 of 86 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,843
-151 (-8%) vs 2020
-13% since 1990-91, when it was 2,109
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,843 | 143 | 12.9:1 | 74% (1,355) |
| 2023-24 | 1,868 | 141.2 | 13.2:1 | 72% (1,346) |
| 2022-23 | 1,996 | 145.1 | 13.8:1 | 54% (1,068) |
| 2020-21 | 1,994 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,730 | 135.3 | 12.8:1 | 62% (1,069) |
| 2015-16 | 1,827 | 136 | 13.4:1 | 18% (323) |
| 2010-11 | 1,983 | 136 | 14.6:1 | 70% (1,381) |
| 2000-01 | 2,357 | 140 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 2,109 | 117 | 18.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thornwood High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (1,730 to 1,843); teachers up 6% (135.3 to 143).
About Thornwood High School
Thornwood High School is a high-enrollment high school with an address in South Holland, Illinois. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend, and enrollment is 1,843 students. The school's enrollment is 121% larger than the 834 average for high schools in Illinois.
Thornwood High School is one of 3 schools in Thornton Twp HSD 205, which enrolls 4,509 students in total.
The large majority of students at Thornwood High School, 82%, are Black. Next come 14% Hispanic and 2% White. The county population is about 22% Black. Thornwood High School has a diversity index of 31%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Teacher staffing is 143 full-time equivalents, or about 12.9 students per teacher. The 13.8:1 average for high schools in Illinois is higher than this school's figure. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 74%.
The allk12 Grade for Thornwood High School is D. Compared with Illinois public high schools, the school scored higher than 12% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Thornwood High School would be expected to post about 29.1%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 15.6%.
Cook County has about 5,182,090 residents, and median household income is about $83,498, about 43% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 1,406 public schools in Cook County, with a combined enrollment of about 697,934.
McKinley Elementary School is the public school closest to Thornwood High School, about 0.5 miles away. Thornwood High School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Thornwood High School at 8th of 8.
The federal government classifies Thornwood High School's location as Suburb: Large.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment down 8%, from 1,994 to 1,843.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Thornwood High School covering things like enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Cook County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
5,182,090
Census ACS
Median income
$83,498
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,406
697,934 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Thornton Twp HSD 205
- Thornton Township High SchoolHigh · 1,697 students
- Thornridge High SchoolHigh · 969 students
- Outlook AcademyHigh
- PEACE CenterHigh
Other schools in South Holland
- Greenwood Elementary SchoolElementary · 321 students
- New Beginnings Learning AcademyElementary · 288 students
- McKinley Jr High SchoolMiddle · 287 students
- Madison SchoolElementary · 277 students
- Eisenhower SchoolElementary · 274 students
- McKinley Elementary SchoolElementary · 176 students
Nearby schools
- McKinley Elementary School0.5 mi · 176
- McKinley Jr High School0.5 mi · 287
- Greenwood Elementary School0.9 mi · 321
- Wolcott School1.1 mi · 249
- Taft School1.6 mi · 308
- Eisenhower School1.7 mi · 274
Frequently asked questions
About Thornwood High SchoolHow many students attend Thornwood High School?
Thornwood High School enrolls approximately 1,843 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Thornwood High School serve?
Thornwood High School serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornwood High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Thornwood High School is approximately 12.9:1 (143 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Thornwood High School?
Student demographics at Thornwood High School are roughly 2% White, 14% Hispanic, 82% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Thornwood High School in?
Thornwood High School is part of Thornton Twp HSD 205.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.