Public schools in Illinois

The NCES directory lists 4,398 public schools operating in Illinois in 2024-25; 3,817 of them reported 1,838,562 students, averaging 13.5 students per teacher, tied for 29th with Arkansas and Louisiana of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Chicago Public Schools, with 324,130 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools3,8172,314 elementary, 686 middle, 708 high, 109 other
Students1,838,5623.8% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher13.5U.S. 15.3

Illinois has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Illinois ranks 29th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. South Carolina13.9
  2. Virginia13.8
  3. Arkansas13.5
  4. Illinois13.5
  5. Louisiana13.5
  6. Pennsylvania13.3
  7. South Dakota13.3

Eight in ten larger Illinois districts spent between $13,132 and $25,359 per student

Among the 377 Illinois districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $13,132 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $25,359; the median was $18,127. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Illinois districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23377 values from $10,949 to $40,042; ; state median $18,127.$13,132$25,359the middle eight in ten1 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,127
Current spending per student, Illinois districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23377 values from $10,949 to $40,042; ; state median $18,127.$13,132$25,359the middle eight in ten1 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,127
Current spending per student, Illinois districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23377 values from $10,949 to $40,042; ; state median $18,127.$13,132$25,359the middle eight in ten1 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,127
Current spending per student, Illinois districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23377 values from $10,949 to $40,042; ; state median $18,127.$13,132$25,359the middle eight in ten1 more above $40,000 →← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30k$40kcurrent spending per studentstate median $18,127

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 34.4% of the Illinois students tested met the state's reading standard and 26.6% its math standard. Illinois writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Illinois's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 87.6% of 149,998 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Illinois almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Adlai E Stevenson High School, 4,758 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Alcott College Prep, 4.4 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Lake Forest CHSD 115, $40,042 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Webster Elementary School, 0.3% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  6. 06Schools by resource index

    Highest index: J W Riley Elementary School, 67 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  7. 07Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Northbrook SD 28, 68.8 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Illinois

  1. Chicago Public Schools324,130
  2. School District U-4634,039
  3. Rockford SD 20528,467
  4. Indian Prairie School District #20426,108
  5. Plainfield SD 20224,556
  6. CUSD 30020,705
  7. CUSD 30816,766
  8. Naperville Community Unit School District 20316,047

Every Illinois school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Chicago327,482 students629 schools
  2. Aurora36,056 students47 schools
  3. Rockford28,467 students44 schools
  4. Naperville28,794 students41 schools
  5. Peoria15,585 students33 schools
  6. Springfield13,014 students31 schools
  7. Joliet20,526 students31 schools
  8. Plainfield24,802 students29 schools
  9. Elgin17,107 students26 schools
  10. Waukegan14,159 students23 schools
  11. Belleville11,171 students20 schools
  12. Wheaton10,021 students17 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Illinois's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Illinois?
    The NCES directory lists 4,398 operating in 2024-25; 3,817 of them reported students: 2,314 elementary, 686 middle, 708 high and 109 other, enrolling 1,838,562 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Illinois?
    13.5 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Illinois?
    Chicago Public Schools, with 324,130 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Illinois spend per public-school student?
    $19,786 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .