Stevenson High School

History

In 1964, disagreement between the district's western (Lake Zurich) and eastern (current Stevenson) sections emerged over the school's direction. Before Stevenson opened, students in the area attended Ela-Vernon High School in Lake Zurich. Stevenson was planned to be a second school for the growing district, but the district's western side (Lake Zurich) decided to build its own district. Adlai E. Stevenson High School opened in September 1965. This left Stevenson with an unfinished building, no board or administration, and no faculty. When Stevenson opened to 467 students and 31 teachers in 1965, the building was not carpeted, the library was empty, most classrooms lacked desks, and athletic fields were nonexistent, as most of the school furniture had been shipped to Prairie View, Texas, instead of Prairie View, Illinois.

In the 1980s, the release of "A Nation at Risk" and the arrival of Richard DuFour as school principal were pivotal. During the 1980s and 1990s, the school's student activities program expanded, providing over 100 clubs and teams for students. By the late 1990s, intense student competition led to the formation of a task force to solve problems like grading system manipulation. In 1992, a community referendum determined that Stevenson would remain the district's only high school, with 52% supporting this option. In 1995, Stevenson underwent its largest expansion, growing by more than 50% with a $25 million project.

Stevenson has grown to become one of the area's largest high schools. It has undergone various additions, first in 1970, when the gym and pool were renovated. Another round of remodeling occurred in the mid-1990s to accommodate the increasing student population. After the three-level east building was added in 1995, the school was more than six times its original size of 113,000 square feet. The east building included 60 classrooms, a Performing Arts Center (PAC), the Patriot Aquatic Center, Field House, and the Technology Center. Also built was a new indoor walkway ("The Link") between the west and east buildings.

In 2002, a referendum seeking an increase in the education tax rate received nearly 70% support, stabilizing the district's finances. After retiring in 2002, DuFour became a leading voice for school reform. In 2008, Education Week featured an article about Stevenson High School's implementation of professional learning community practices.

Demographics

In 2025, the demographics were: White: 40.8%, Asian: 44.6%, Hispanic: 8.6%, Black: 1.9%, Two or More Races: 3.6%, and American Indian: 0.4%.

Communities served

The school serves students in District 125 from Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Prairie View, parts of Buffalo Grove, Mundelein, Kildeer, Hawthorn Woods, and smaller parts of Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich, Riverwoods, Bannockburn, and Mettawa.

Feeder schools

All students from Aptakisic Junior High School, most students from Twin Groves Middle School, Woodlawn Middle School, and Daniel Wright Junior High School, half of West Oak Middle School students, 18% of Fremont Middle School students, and a small portion of Hawthorn Middle School South students attend Stevenson.

Controversies and incidents

Newspaper censorship

In November 2009, a dispute over censorship erupted between school officials and the student newspaper, The Statesman. The administration stopped publication of the November 20 issue, objecting to stories about drugs, teen pregnancy, and shoplifting. Students wanted to leave the front page blank in protest of the censorship, but officials required them to run other stories approved by the administration. On November 20, Stevenson's public information officer released a statement saying the administration did not think anonymously sourced allegations of illegal activity were fit for print.

In a November 26 editorial, the Chicago Tribune wrote that Stevenson was wrong to force students to produce administration-approved stories. "This isn't editing, it's censorship", columnist Zak Stambor wrote. The Society of Professional Journalists' Freedom of Information chairman called the censorship "immoral, un-American, irresponsible and not fit for education".

After the censorship, 11 of 14 Statesman staffers—and all the paper's top editors—resigned at the start of the spring 2010 semester.

Confiscation of student cellphones

In February 2012, the school administration initiated an investigation into cannabis sales at the school, during which the cellphones of students suspected of selling cannabis were confiscated and text messages stored on the phones were read. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois called the investigation a "fishing expedition"; school officials said they were "perfectly within our rights". One student was suspended for five days and barred from participating in extracurricular activities because he refused to provide his phone's password. The probe resulted in two arrests on misdemeanor drug charges.

Student altercations

In 2017, three students were put on academic suspension when a video surfaced of a student attacking another student on a bus. The student was later charged with aggravated battery in juvenile court.

Discrimination against Black students

In January 2020, dean Nick Valenziano allegedly targeted and disrespected a black Stevenson student while being recorded on video. This led to student protests and an uproar in the Stevenson community. School administrators accepted Valenziano's resignation around June 2020 and hired a diversity director to address racial issues at the school.

Athletics

The Stevenson Patriots compete in the North Suburban Conference. The following is a list of sports Stevenson lists for the 2023–24 school year:

Stevenson High School is a member of the IHSA, the athletic teams are stylized as the Patriots. Many of its teams are top-ranked nationally and have a history of producing collegiate and professional athletes.

The following teams have won their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meets:

Awards and recognition

Stevenson High School is one of the only high schools in the country to receive the United States Department of Education's "Excellence in Education" Blue Ribbon Award five times. In addition, Stevenson has been named one of America's top high schools by both U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek magazines, and has been named a National School of Distinction in Arts Education by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Niche ranked Stevenson as one of the best public high schools in America in 2017. In 2016, Niche gave A+ ratings in the following areas: academics, teachers, educational outcomes, health and safety, resources and facilities, sports and fitness, co-curricular activities, food service, and administration and policies.

Several national publications have regularly included Stevenson in their lists of America's best public high schools. Stevenson was the top-ranked open-enrollment public high school in Illinois in 2021, 2015, and 2014 in U.S. News & World Report, and was the top-ranked open-enrollment school in Illinois in the Washington Post's rankings in 2014, 2013, and 2012.

In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Stevenson as 171st in national rankings and 6th in Illinois.

For the class of 2016, 99.9% attended college. In 2015–2016, 360 students were named Illinois State Scholars. In addition, there were 32 National Merit Semi-Finalists in the Class of 2016 and 38 Commended students.

Notable alumni

Megan Bozek – 2014 USA women's Olympic hockey player.

Kyle Brandt – actor and media personality.

Jalen Brunson – NBA basketball player (point guard) for the New York Knicks, 2026 NBA Champion, 2026 NBA Finals MVP

Tamika Catchings – former professional basketball player, WNBA champion and 2011 MVP.

Brad Cieslak – former NFL tight end for the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns.

Kevin Frederick – former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Dylan Geick – wrestler, writer, and social media personality

Ron Goldman – friend of Nicole Brown Simpson and one of the murder victims from the trial of O.J. Simpson.

Hal Gordon – unofficial mascot for the Oakland Athletics, hotdog vendor, and economist.

Andrea Jaeger – professional tennis player, Wimbledon and French Open finalist, who became a nun.

Paul Juda – Olympic medal winning gymnast

Holden Karnofsky – the chief executive officer of the Open Philanthropy Project and a co-founder and board member of GiveWell.

Joe Lando – actor, known for the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Alison La Placa – actress, known for sitcoms Duet, Open House and The John Larroquette Show.