Ranked the #1 public high school in Illinois and #2 in the U.S. by Niche.com, IMSA develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois in 1986, and located in Aurora, Illinois, IMSA enrolls approximately 650 diverse and academically talented Illinois students (grades 10-12) in its advanced residential academic program. Graduates are leaders in the business, education, scientific, and civic sectors. By design, IMSA is not part of the K-12 educational system. Rather, IMSA is an independent state agency governed by an appointed Board of Trustees. IMSA’s budget is part of the Illinois higher education system.

IMSA is both a public residential Academy and a catalyst for the advancement of STEM teaching and learning statewide with responsibility to stimulate further excellence for all Illinois schools in mathematics and science through its Center for Teaching and Learning. The Center for Teaching and Learning provides educator training and turnkey STEM curricula, student enrichment, including summer camps, and entrepreneurship and makerspace education.

Notable IMSA technology alumni include YouTube Co-Founder Steve Chen, PayPal Co-Creator Yu Pan, Yelp Co-Founder Russell Simmons, SparkNotes and OkCupid Co-Founder Sam Yagan, and Hearsay Social Founder, Clara Shih. IMSA is proud to have been named among the top 40 public and private college preparatory institutions in the world by The Wall Street Journal. IMSA has been profiled by NBC-TV’s Dateline, CNN’s Science and Technology News, USA Today, New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.