Illinois · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best-Resourced School Districts in Illinois

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

50
Districts ranked
187,475
Students enrolled
57/100
Avg quality score
B
Top grade

The ranking in one line

Northbrook Sd 28 in Northbrook leads Illinois's districts with an average school quality score of 71/100 across 4 schools.

71/100
top district score (grade B)
4
schools in Northbrook Sd 28
1,842
students in the top district
57/100
average across the top 50
# District GradeAvg Quality
1 Northbrook Sd 28 Northbrook B 71
2 Northbrook/Glenview Sd 30 Northbrook B- 69.7
3 Pleasantdale Sd 107 Burr Ridge B- 65.5
4 Libertyville Sd 70 Libertyville C+ 63.2
5 Oak Park Esd 97 Oak Park C+ 62.2
6 Elmhurst Sd 205 Elmhurst C+ 61.8
7 Geneva Cusd 304 Geneva C+ 61.6
8 Riverside Sd 96 Riverside C+ 61.6
9 Downers Grove Gsd 58 Downers Grove C+ 61.4
10 Barrington Cusd 220 Barrington C+ 61.3
11 North Shore Sd 112 Highland Park C+ 61
12 La Grange Sd 102 La Grange Park C+ 60.8
13 Glenview Ccsd 34 Glenview C+ 60.3
14 Aptakisic-Tripp Ccsd 102 Buffalo Grove C+ 60.3
15 La Grange Sd 105 South La Grange C 59.4
16 Palos Ccsd 118 Palos Park C 59.3
17 Benjamin Sd 25 West Chicago C 58
18 Batavia Usd 101 Batavia C 57.9
19 Northbrook Esd 27 Northbrook C 57.7
20 Cusd 200 Wheaton C 57
21 Glen Ellyn Sd 41 Glen Ellyn C 57
22 Winnetka Sd 36 Winnetka C 56.8
23 Avoca Sd 37 Wilmette C 56.5
24 Lincolnwood Sd 74 Lincolnwood C 56.3
25 Lake Forest Sd 67 Lake Forest C 56.2
26 Ccsd 146 Tinley Park C 55.8
27 Deerfield Sd 109 Deerfield C 55.7
28 Ccsd 89 Glen Ellyn C 55.2
29 Johnsburg Cusd 12 Johnsburg C 55
30 River Trails Sd 26 Mt Prospect C 55
31 Maercker Sd 60 Westmont C 55
32 Millburn Ccsd 24 Old Mill Creek C 55
33 Teutopolis Cusd 50 Teutopolis C- 54.7
34 Wheeling Ccsd 21 Wheeling C- 54.5
35 Lake Zurich Cusd 95 Lake Zurich C- 54.4
36 Hawthorn Ccsd 73 Vernon Hills C- 54.3
37 Westchester Sd 92-5 Westchester C- 54.3
38 Cusd 308 Oswego C- 54.3
39 Crystal Lake Ccsd 47 Crystal Lake C- 54.3
40 Hinsdale Ccsd 181 Clarendon Hills C- 54
41 Leroy Cusd 2 Le Roy C- 54
42 Western Springs Sd 101 Western Springs C- 53.8
43 Wilmette Sd 39 Wilmette C- 53.5
44 Ccsd 62 Des Plaines C- 53.4
45 Fremont Sd 79 Mundelein C- 53.3
46 Aurora East Usd 131 Aurora C- 53.3
47 Township Hsd 211 Palatine C- 53.2
48 Park Ridge Ccsd 64 Niles C- 53.1
49 West Northfield Sd 31 Northbrook C- 53
50 Woodridge Sd 68 Woodridge C- 52.9

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Illinois? ▼

The top-ranked district in Illinois is Northbrook Sd 28 in Northbrook with 1,842 students across 4 schools. Average quality score: 71/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated? ▼

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Illinois? ▼

Illinois has 50+ school districts serving 1,844,783 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 14:1.

Explore More for Illinois

All Schools → Best Schools → Highest Spending → Funding Equity → Absenteeism Data →

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.