Clapham is celebrating new achievements this fall in our regional rankings, both as a school and among our student body and alumni.
Clapham is proud to announce it has been nationally recognized as one of the Best Schools in America by Niche, the country’s leading college and school search platform. Niche has ranked Clapham as the 4th best private Christian school in Illinois for 2026!
This prestigious ranking reflects Clapham’s exceptional performance across numerous factors analyzed by Niche, including academic performance, extracurricular activity opportunities, data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education, and user input from current students, alumni, and parents.
More exciting still, our students Cameron Egan, Lucy Sanders, and Isaiah Hinkle have been named regional scholars for the CLT (Classic Learning Test), scoring in the TOP 5% of all test takers across the entire Midwest region. We are incredibly proud of their achievement, which spans 11 states.
Founded in 2015, CLT offers 3rd – 12th grade academic assessments that evaluate reading, grammar, writing, and mathematics. This suite of assessments includes the CLT, a college entrance exam accepted at hundreds of colleges across the United States and abroad. In 2023, the state of Florida passed legislation accepting the CLT as an approved admissions test at all of its state universities. The state of Arkansas followed suit in 2025, and several states continue to add the CLT to their scholarship and college qualification standards. In October 2025, the United States’ service academies are set to announce their acceptance of CLT scores for admissions.
The “classic” in Classic Learning Test refers to its use of classic literature and historical texts for the majority of reading selections on its exams. The CLT website states, “By engaging students with this meaningful content, CLT assessments offer a more edifying testing experience and reflect a holistic education.” Additionally, CLT exams aim to emphasize critical thinking and reasoning skills and are accessible to students from a variety of educational backgrounds.
To learn more about CLT, visit cltexam.com.
Finally, Clapham is proud to celebrate recent graduate Megan Hinchee‘s acceptance into the highly competitive Aequitas Fellows Program at Wheaton College (IL). Hinchee, who enrolled at Wheaton this fall, was selected to join the Sustainability cohort of the prestigious interdisciplinary fellowship.
The Aequitas Fellows Program is Wheaton College’s premier academic fellowship, admitting cohorts of approximately 15 students annually to explore one of five interdisciplinary themes: Global Public Health; Politics, Philosophy, and Economics; Public Humanities and the Arts; Sustainability; and Urban Leadership.
As an Aequitas Fellow, Hinchee will complete a specialized set of courses, participate in on- and off-campus events, receive funding for a summer experience, and complete a final project, all while earning a Fellowship Certificate.
In recognition of her exceptional academic achievements, Hinchee received a $4,000 annual tuition scholarship specifically for the Aequitas program, in addition to Wheaton’s top $20,000 academic scholarship.
Aequitas fellows get to be a part of an exceptional Christian intellectual community where they can explore their interests alongside other top-notch students and committed faculty mentors. Megan is a testament to the caliber of the education she received at Clapham, which culminated in a senior thesis defense presentation in which she explored the Christian imperative to protect native species. Megan is one of several Clapham graduates who have chosen to major in science at the university level.
The acceptance into the Aequitas program highlights Clapham’s commitment to preparing students for success at the highest levels of higher education.
More information about the Aequitas program is available here.
Clapham’s recent achievements are a testament to all the factors that set our school apart: our steadfast Christian convictions, including our dedication to the Lordship of Christ over all of life, our enthusiasm and joy for learning, and our commitment to an in-person, low-tech education cultivated through the classical tradition. There’s no better way to learn more about Clapham than to join us for a tour. Schedule one today at: https://www.claphamschool.org/schedule-a-tour/.