Evanston Township High School has been named to the "Challenge Index" by The Washington Post. The Challenge Index (formerly, America's Most Challenging High Schools) is the oldest high school ranking system in the country. It is the only list that compares private and public schools. It ranks high schools based on the percentage of students taking Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or Cambridge tests at the school each year. Participation in these tests is a unique measure of the depth of learning, and success on them has been linked with success in college.

• In 2023, ETHS was ranked in the top 15 high schools in Illinois.
• In 2023, ETHS was in the top 3% of U.S. public and private high schools.