Best schools in Illinois (2025)
The top five of 3,847 schools in each category, with links to the full top 100. Rankings use the Success Index (US), built only from official American data.
Illinois has 3,847 schools educating 1,842,755 students in 2025: 3,716 public, 131 charter.
The median Enrollment across Illinois is 373. Students enrolled in the latest NCES directory year.
Browse every school in Illinois →
Best elementary schools in Illinois
Schools classified as elementary by NCES.
Edison Elem Regional Gifted Cntr
Chicago · Public elementary · Grades K–8
265 students
Meadow Glens Elementary School
Naperville · Public elementary · Grades K–5
475 students
Elm Elem School
Burr Ridge · Public elementary · Grades K–5
287 students
Brook Forest Elem School
Oak Brook · Public elementary · Grades K–5
293 students
Decatur Classical Elem School
Chicago · Public elementary · Grades K–8
341 students
Best middle schools in Illinois
Schools classified as middle schools by NCES.
Carleton W Washburne School
Winnetka · Public middle · Grades 7–8
376 students
Daniel Wright Jr High School
Lincolnshire · Public middle · Grades 6–8
720 students
Maple School
Northbrook · Public middle · Grades 6–8
451 students
Wood Oaks Jr High School
Northbrook · Public middle · Grades 6–8
455 students
Charles J Caruso Middle School
Deerfield · Public middle · Grades 6–8
440 students
Best high schools in Illinois
Schools classified as high schools by NCES.
Lake Forest High School
Lake Forest · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,359 students
New Trier Township H S Winnetka
Winnetka · Public high · Grades 10–12
2,770 students
Payton College Preparatory HS
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,260 students
Northside College Preparatory Hs
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,061 students
Deerfield High School
Deerfield · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,437 students
Best traditional public schools in Illinois
District-run public schools.
Carleton W Washburne School
Winnetka · Public middle · Grades 7–8
376 students
Daniel Wright Jr High School
Lincolnshire · Public middle · Grades 6–8
720 students
Maple School
Northbrook · Public middle · Grades 6–8
451 students
Wood Oaks Jr High School
Northbrook · Public middle · Grades 6–8
455 students
Edison Elem Regional Gifted Cntr
Chicago · Public elementary · Grades K–8
265 students
Best charter schools in Illinois
Publicly funded charter schools.
Intrinsic 2 Charter High School
Chicago · Charter high · Grades 9–12
734 students
Prairie Crossing Charter School
Grayslake · Charter elementary · Grades K–8
433 students
Southland College Prep Chtr HS
Richton Park · Charter high · Grades 9–12
584 students
Elgin Math and Science Acad Chtr
Elgin · Charter elementary · Grades K–8
499 students
LEARN Chtr Sch 6 N Chicago Campus
Great Lakes · Charter elementary · Grades K–8
503 students
Best schools by math proficiency in Illinois
Schools ranked by the share of tested students proficient or above in math on the state assessment (EDFacts, all students), for schools with 30 or more tested students.
Keller Elem Gifted Magnet School
Chicago · Public elementary · Grades 1–8
222 students
Northside College Preparatory Hs
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,061 students
Payton College Preparatory HS
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,260 students
Young Magnet High School
Chicago · Public high · Grades 7–12
2,223 students
Skinner North Elem Sch
Chicago · Public elementary · Grades K–8
515 students
Best schools by reading proficiency in Illinois
Schools ranked by the share of tested students proficient or above in reading/language arts (EDFacts, all students).
Northside College Preparatory Hs
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,061 students
Payton College Preparatory HS
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,260 students
Jones College Prep High School
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
1,954 students
Thurgood Marshall School
Rockford · Public middle · Grades 5–8
514 students
Decatur Classical Elem School
Chicago · Public elementary · Grades K–8
341 students
Best lowest student–teacher ratio in Illinois
Schools with the fewest students per FTE teacher, among schools with at least 100 students.
Alcott College Prep
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
373 students
Ogden Int High School
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
519 students
Raby High School
Chicago · Public high · Grades 9–12
128 students
Elizabeth Graham Elem School
Springfield · Public elementary · Grades K–5
241 students
Mt Carmel Junior High School
Mount Carmel · Public middle · Grades 7–8
199 students
Best largest schools in Illinois
Schools with the highest enrollment.
Adlai E Stevenson High School
Lincolnshire · Public high · Grades 9–12
4,758 students
Lane Technical High School
Chicago · Public high · Grades 7–12
4,604 students
Taft High School
Chicago · Public high · Grades 7–12
4,487 students
Waukegan High School
Waukegan · Public high · Grades 9–12
4,186 students
East High School
Aurora · Public high · Grades 9–12
4,020 students
Free academic assessment
Is your child on grade level in reading and math?
Success Tutoring offers personalised English and math tutoring from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Start with a free online assessment and a clear plan for the year ahead.
- Personalised learning plan mapped to the Australian Curriculum
- English & Maths from Kindergarten to Year 12
- Flexible memberships, no lock-in contracts
- Centres across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA and ACT
Frequently asked questions
What is the best elementary school in Illinois?
Edison Elem Regional Gifted Cntr in Chicago ranks first among elementary schools in Illinois with a Success Index (US) of 93.7 out of 100 (Enrollment: 265).
How are elementary schools in Illinois ranked?
Each school's Success Index (US) combines 4 factors: math proficiency (30%), reading proficiency (30%), community advantage (fewer free/reduced-price lunch) (25%), students per teacher (15%). Each factor is a percentile against schools of the same type across United States. Schools with fewer than 60 students are excluded from rankings.
Are these 2025 rankings official?
No. They are computed by Success Tutoring from official American data (Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES CCD, EDFacts); NCES Common Core of Data). States set their own assessments and proficiency cut scores, so proficiency rates are most comparable within a state. Use the state rankings for like-for-like comparisons.