Aerial Highlights: Willowbrook High School Featured on Friday

VILLA PARK, Ill. (WLS) — This week, we feature Willowbrook High School on ABC7’s Friday Flyover, celebrating high school sports!

Fast Facts

Willowbrook High School opened its doors in the autumn of 1959, initially welcoming around 2,500 students. Over the years, the number of students has varied, ranging from 3,000 to 1,800, with the current enrollment sitting at 1,906. Serving as a comprehensive four-year high school, Willowbrook provides programs in academics, vocational training, gifted education, and special education. The school spends around $22,000 per student annually and holds full accreditation from the Illinois State Board of Education.

The students graduating from Willowbrook in 2025 have enrolled in colleges and universities across 22 states and Mexico, gaining acceptance to 300 different institutions. Their university destinations include Ivy League schools, military academies, and more, as detailed at www.dupage88.net/WBClassof2025Schools.

In the 2024-25 academic year, Willowbrook students earned a total of 5,612 college credits through various programs such as Advanced Placement (AP), Project Lead The Way, College of DuPage, Technology Center of DuPage, Elmhurst University, and Dominican University. These courses allowed students to accumulate college credits during high school, saving an estimated $2.6 million for the year. Additionally, students earned 1,693 career certifications in that same year.

RECOGNITION FROM GREATSCHOOLS

In 2025, Willowbrook received a favorable evaluation from GreatSchools, being described as “performing above average compared to public and charter schools in Illinois with the same grade levels.” The institution received a College Readiness Rating of 9 out of 10 and surpassed the performance of 86% of similar Illinois schools according to www.greatschools.org, which evaluates aspects such as College Prep, College Success, Advanced Placement (AP) Courses, and demographics.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

Willowbrook High School achieved high standings in the National and metro-area rankings for Best High Schools in the 2025-26 category, attaining recognition as a U.S. News Best High School.

Famous Alumni:

-Carrie Johnson
-Dan Schatzeder
-Jill Pizzotti
-Jocelyn Patterson
-Jody Gerut
-Mary Van De Velde Unseth
-Matt Roth
-Nine Fehland Pope
-Robert Falls
-Sheila Ryan
-Tom Higgenson