These are the top 10 high schools in Illinois, according to a new report

Schools in Chicago and the surrounding area dominated the list of top high schools in Illinois by US News and World Report , with the entirety of the top 10 consisting of schools within the area's large footprint.

Each of the top five schools on the list and seven of the top 10 all hail from Chicago Public Schools, with Payton College Preparatory High School coming in at No. 1 on the list. It also ranks among the five best public high schools in the U.S.

The rankings are determined by examining each school's performance in college-entry exams and state assessments along with their graduation rate, how underserved students performed and whether or not students took advantage of advanced placement exams. The figures are then weighted into a single score from 0-100.

Here's a look at Payton High and the other top schools in the state of Illinois.

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1. Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago

Overall Score : 99.97

Graduation Rate : 100%

College Readiness Score : 96.0

Background : Named for Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton, the school opened a year after the former Chicago Bears running back's untimely death from liver cancer in 1999. In addition to academic opportunities at the school, located just north of downtown, students can also explore foreign exchange programs in places like Belize and South Africa.

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2. Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago

Overall Score : 99.8

Graduation Rate : 99%

College Readiness Score : 91.8

Background : Students at Northside Prep can get an early start on learning the ins and outs of the U.S. Constitution, with constitutional law classes among the electives provided at the institution.

3. Whitney Young Magnet High School, Chicago

Overall Score : 99.71

Graduation Rate : 99%

College Readiness Score : 85.5

Background : Whitney Young has a tremendous balance between academics and athletics, with state championships in academic decathlon, two-man debate and boys basketball in their history.

4. Jones College Prep High School, Chicago

Overall Score : 99.7

Graduation Rate : 96%

College Readiness Score : 90.7

Background : For a time in the 1980s and 1990s, Jones served as a specialty school for students looking to advance future careers in business and commerce. The current selective enrollment emphasis wasn't implemented until the late 1990s.

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5. Lane Technical High School, Chicago

Overall Score : 99.66

Graduation Rate : 98%

College Readiness Score : 90.5

Background : Originally built as a manual training school for boys, women weren't allowed to be students at Lane until 1971, when enrollment significantly dropped off.

6. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire

Overall Score : 98.9

Graduation Rate : 96%

College Readiness Score : 67.6

Background : The first suburban school on the list, Stevenson has seen massive expansion since opening in 1965, with the second highest enrollment among public schools in the state of Illinois.

7. Brooks College Prep Academy, Chicago

Overall Score : 98.27

Graduation Rate : 97%

College Readiness Score : 67.9

Background : The building that currently houses Brooks Prep has been home to three other schools in its existence: the Pullman Free School, which closed in 1950; Mendel Catholic, which closed in 1988; and St. Martin de Porres, which was only open for nine years due to constantly shrinking enrollment.

8. Vernon Hills High School, Vernon Hills

Overall Score : 98.25

Graduation Rate : 95%

College Readiness Score : 68.3

Background : When first opened in 1999, Vernon Hills High only served freshmen students, with others attending nearby Libertyville High School . It wouldn't be until the next year that all grades could attend the new school.

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9. Hancock College Preparatory High School, Chicago

Overall Score : 98.15

Graduation Rate : 99%

College Readiness Score : 64.1

Background : A beautiful new state-of-the-art building now houses Hancock Prep , complete with extracurricular rooms, a gymnatorium and better accessibility.

10. New Trier Township High School, Winnetka

Overall Score : 98.03

Graduation Rate : 98%

College Readiness Score : 56.7

Background : While John Hughes was a graduate of another North Shore high school – Northbrook's Glenbrook North – scenes for movies such as "Uncle Buck" and "Home Alone" were filmed at the school's Northfield campus.

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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: These are the top 10 high schools in Illinois, according to a new report