According to officials the projected rate of 60.6 is the highest on record.
At one West Side high school, every student in the graduating class is going to college.
Christ the King College Prep opened four years ago. School officials wanted to give students from a tough neighborhood a chance at higher education.
During a speech to the school's first graduating class, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said never to bet against the kids of Chicago.
"You have beaten every odd," Emanuel said. "You have overcome every obstacle. And you have seized every opportunity in order to reach this day. Your teachers, your family, your city and your mayor are immensely proud of you."
The mayor also delivered the commencement speech to the class of 2012 from Morgan Park High School.
