A high school in Chicago’s south suburbs is sending every single one of its seniors to college this year and doing it with $54 million in scholarships behind them.
Southland College Prep Charter High School’s Class of 2026, made up of 135 seniors, collectively earned more than 1,300 college acceptances from institutions across the country. The class secured a combined $54 million in merit and need based financial aid, and not a single student is graduating without a college pathway. It is the 13th consecutive year the school has achieved 100% college acceptance, a streak that has become central to the school’s identity and reputation.
Graduation is set for May 23 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park in Chicago.
A class that reached far and wide
The breadth of college destinations for this graduating class reflects both the ambition of its students and the reach of Southland’s college counseling program. Among the most notable outcomes, seven students earned full ride scholarships to California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. Four students were admitted to Washington University in St. Louis, with three of those four receiving fullride scholarships as well.
The school’s director of college admissions, Robert Lane, has long framed the mission not simply as getting students into college but as matching each one with the right institution for their individual goals and circumstances an approach that appears to be producing results well beyond what most schools of any kind achieve.
Valedictorian and salutatorian heading to top universities
The two students at the top of the Class of 2026 are heading in different but equally impressive directions. Valedictorian LeiLani Barnes will attend the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where she plans to pursue a dual degree in kinesiology and dance. Barnes served as captain of the competitive dance team and co-captain of the Marching Lady Eagles, making her one of the clearest examples of the school’s philosophy that academic excellence and artistic commitment are not in competition.
Salutatorian Loren Rounds will head to Yale University to study political science and public health. Rounds is a section leader in the marching band and also performs in the jazz band, adding another dimension to a profile that goes far beyond test scores and grades.
Their stories are not exceptional outliers at Southland they are reflective of a broader pattern. Six of the top ten students in the graduating class are actively involved in the school’s band and dance programs, a detail that underscores how deeply the arts are woven into the academic culture there.
Historic wins in arts, athletics and competition
The Class of 2026 arrived at its final year having already built a record of competitive achievement that extended well beyond the classroom. On the arts side, a team of seniors claimed the school’s first ever IHSA Short Film state championship with a production called Soul Music. The Speech Team added a fourth state championship in Performance in the Round, and the choir earned gold recognition at the World Heritage Festival in New York City.
The school’s marching band and Marching Lady Eagles were selected to perform at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C., one of the more prestigious opportunities available to high school music programs in the country.
Athletics also produced a landmark moment. Senior Amauree Williams became the first male IHSA state champion in school history by winning the 300 meter hurdles state title. The school’s inaugural competitive dance team made its debut season one to remember as well, capturing the IHSA Class IA Sectional Championship and advancing to the state finals.
Scholarships, recognition and what comes next
During the school’s annual All In celebration, which honors the achievement of 100% college acceptance, four seniors received scholarships totaling $10,000 from the Kwarteng Foundation. The foundation was established in honor of Dr. Alex Kwarteng, an immigrant from Ghana whose life and legacy centered on education and public service.
Southland‘s standing in Illinois continues to climb. The Illinois State Board of Education has awarded the school its Exemplary designation the highest available in the state in six of the past seven years. This year, the school ranked 11th out of 712 schools statewide, placing it firmly in the top 2% of all Illinois schools.
For a charter high school serving students in Chicago’s south suburbs, that ranking is not a footnote. It is the point.
