Adlai E. Stevenson High School (AESHS), commonly called Stevenson High School (SHS), is a four-year public high school in Lincolnshire, Illinois, United States. It is named after Adlai Stevenson II, the 31st governor of Illinois.

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.

In 2004, the school's main entrance was rebuilt and transformed into a commons area now known as "The Point". Other renovations that year included more fine arts areas around the band, choir, and orchestra rooms in the west building. Around 2008, many of the athletic fields were expanded and the football field received new turf. Also in 2008, the original auditorium was renovated.

In the 2005–06 school year, Stevenson had its highest enrollment, 4,573 students. From 2005–06 to 2014–15, enrollment declined every year. In 2014–15, Stevenson had its first enrollment increase since the peak in 2005–06. Stevenson's enrollment was 4,337 in 2018–19 and surpassed 4,500 in 2020.

In 2011, the west building's library and student resource center were renovated for the first time. The project was finished in 2015 when two lecture halls were removed to make way for the Quiet Learning Center (QLC). The photography studio was renovated in 2013.

In 2019, the school added an extension to the east building, including 22 new classrooms, conference rooms, a green roof and flower garden, multiple living walls, and solar panels, with the intent of making the new addition a net-zero building.

In 2020, Stevenson began planning for an additional expansion, with new athletic courts, an artificial turf playing field, a larger running track, an area for exercise equipment, and other features to be built in the enlarged field house. This addition was finished in 2022.

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.

Name of feeder school Name of feeder school's school district Daniel Wright Junior High School Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 Aptakisic Junior High SchoolAptakisic-Tripp School District 102 Twin Groves Middle SchoolKildeer Consolidated School District 96 Woodlawn Middle School Fremont Middle SchoolFremont School District 79 West Oak Middle SchoolDiamond Lake School District 76 Hawthorn Middle School SouthHawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73

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:

Badminton Baseball Basketball Bass Fishing Bowling Cheerleading Cross Country Fencing Field hockey Football Flag Football Golf Gymnastics

Ice hockey Lacrosse Patriettes (Dance squad) Soccer Softball Swimming Tennis Track and Field Volleyball Water Polo Wrestling

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:

Sporting Achievements Sport Achievements Years Football State Champions 2014–2015 Boys Basketball State Champions 2014–2015 Girls Badminton State Champions 2016–2017 Boys Gymnastics State Champions 2001–2002, 2002–2003, 2003–2004, 2009–2010, 2014–2015 Girls Basketball State Champions 1994–1995, 1995–1996, 2021–2022 Girls Gymnastics State Champions 2000–2001, 2001–2002, 2002–2003, 2003–2004, 2008–2009 Girls Water Polo State Champions 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Boys Bowling State Champions 2016Boys Water PoloState Champions2017, 2021, 2026Boys Swim & DiveState Champions2022PatriettesState Champions2017, 2020, 2021, 2024FencingMidwest High School Championships2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2023, 2024Boys Ice HockeyAHAI State Champions2021–22National Runners-Up2021–22 Girls Tennis State Champions 2017

Academic Achievements Event Achievements Years Science Olympiad National Champions 2023 Chess Team State Champions 2007–2008, 2021–2022, 2022–2023, 2023–2024, 2025–2026 Scholastic Bowl State Champions 1999–2000, 2004–2005, 2009–2010, 2017–2018 Debate Team Harvard National Champions 2008, 2011, 2019 Math Team State Champions 1991, 2023

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.http://www.mybooksaboutme.net/ronald-goldman-biography Hal Gordon – unofficial mascot for the Oakland Athletics, hotdog vendor, and economist.