Illinois School Has 24 Sets Of Twins In Fifth Grade, Seeks Entry Into Guinness Book Of World Records

A suburban public school in Illinois is all set to gain entry into the record books for having the most number of twins -- two dozen -- in the same grade.

The Highcrest Middle School in Wilmette, Ill., about 20 miles north of Chicago, has 24 sets of twins in the fifth grade, a fact that was discovered by twin boys Luke and Ryan Novosel, 11, while trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.

“We were absolutely shocked,” their mother, Nancy Fendley, told Associated Press. "I think it's just statistically kind of bizarre,” she said, noting that the current number will blow away the current record for the maximum number of twins held by three other schools.

The Valley Southwoods Freshman High School in West Des Moines, Iowa; Staples High School in Westport, Conn.; and Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Ill., currently hold the title for having 16 twins in the same grade.

The Novosels have submitted to officials at the Guinness records proof that the students are enrolled in the same school. They have followed it up with photographs and birth certificates, and expect recognition in the coming weeks, according to an AP report.

Most of the twins in the fifth grade are fraternal, featuring three sets of boy-boy twins, 11 sets of girl-girl twins and 10 sets of boy-girl twins. There are two sets of identical twin girls as well.

According to federal reports cited by USA Today, twin births in the U.S. are on the rise, having more than doubled between 1980 and 2009. Data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, showed that the overall twin birth rate in the U.S. increased 76 percent from 18.9 for every 1,000 births in 1980 to 33.2 in 2009.

Fertility treatment is said to be the cause for the increase in the rate of twin births, the CDC report showed.