[bigbootch]

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Good info, but OP stated he's 3 years away from even having kids. So 7 years away from needing a school district. I wouldn't use that as a big factor. Depending on where you're working find a commute you're comfortable with. Then live there.

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You definitely have a point, but I think this is still valuable NOT because of the ACT score itself, but because of the factors that likely resulted in the ACT scores in the first place. Average ACT scores change every year - these other factors have a strong tendency to persist.

At the risk of sounding like I'm overly stereotyping or being snobby or whatever, let me explain what I mean. Schools like New Trier do not have a (by a large margin) the highest average ACT score in the state (and have had, for decades) by random chance. It is because the people who live there tend to be successful, highly-educated, and are likely to want their children to be the same. This creates the overall "atmosphere" of the town, and it becomes a place where success if encouraged and prioritized. In other words, a town full of people with advanced degrees will create an environment where the children are highly more likely to succeed than a town full of people without 4-year degrees. That's unfortunate, but that's the way it is.

So anyway, it is THESE factors that persist, and to the extent that the average ACT score is influenced by these factors, OP should consider that when selecting "What kind of a nice town do I want to live in."

-bigbootch