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.

Compiled by PlainSchools, Education-data publisher · August 26, 2026

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	Grade	Students	Schools	Avg S:T	Per-Pupil $	Avg Quality
1	Northbrook Sd 28Northbrook	B	1,842	4	9.8:1	$30,560	71
2	Northbrook/Glenview Sd 30Northbrook	B-	1,254	3	10.7:1	$26,517	69.7
3	Pleasantdale Sd 107Burr Ridge	B-	832	2	11.2:1	$22,097	65.5
4	Libertyville Sd 70Libertyville	C+	2,145	5	13:1	$23,441	63.2
5	Oak Park Esd 97Oak Park	C+	5,546	10	12.1:1	$23,483	62.2
6	Elmhurst Sd 205Elmhurst	C+	8,299	13	13.2:1	$21,623	61.8
7	Geneva Cusd 304Geneva	C+	5,119	10	13.2:1	$20,336	61.6
8	Riverside Sd 96Riverside	C+	1,723	5	13.5:1	$19,929	61.6
9	Downers Grove Gsd 58Downers Grove	C+	4,918	13	14.9:1	$20,037	61.4
10	Barrington Cusd 220Barrington	C+	8,173	12	12.8:1	$24,207	61.3
11	North Shore Sd 112Highland Park	C+	3,785	10	13.2:1	$24,799	61
12	La Grange Sd 102La Grange Park	C+	2,976	6	12.5:1	$19,370	60.8
13	Glenview Ccsd 34Glenview	C+	4,317	8	12.1:1	$23,633	60.3
14	Aptakisic-Tripp Ccsd 102Buffalo Grove	C+	2,518	4	12.8:1	$20,960	60.3
15	La Grange Sd 105 SouthLa Grange	C	1,213	5	9.9:1	$25,112	59.4
16	Palos Ccsd 118Palos Park	C	2,104	3	14.3:1	$17,462	59.3
17	Benjamin Sd 25West Chicago	C	632	2	11.9:1	$23,922	58
18	Batavia Usd 101Batavia	C	5,260	8	14.8:1	$19,649	57.9
19	Northbrook Esd 27Northbrook	C	1,333	3	12:1	$27,871	57.7
20	Cusd 200Wheaton	C	11,638	20	13.3:1	$19,208	57
21	Glen Ellyn Sd 41Glen Ellyn	C	3,522	5	14.7:1	$18,895	57
22	Winnetka Sd 36Winnetka	C	1,731	5	10.7:1	$30,925	56.8
23	Avoca Sd 37Wilmette	C	661	2	8.3:1	$31,147	56.5
24	Lincolnwood Sd 74Lincolnwood	C	1,221	3	10.8:1	$26,278	56.3
25	Lake Forest Sd 67Lake Forest	C	1,666	5	10.1:1	$30,131	56.2
26	Ccsd 146Tinley Park	C	2,300	5	11.9:1	$22,070	55.8
27	Deerfield Sd 109Deerfield	C	2,729	6	10.7:1	$26,414	55.7
28	Ccsd 89Glen Ellyn	C	2,224	5	15.5:1	$19,248	55.2
29	Johnsburg Cusd 12Johnsburg	C	1,703	4	13.8:1	$19,254	55
30	River Trails Sd 26Mt Prospect	C	1,514	4	10.7:1	$21,707	55
31	Maercker Sd 60Westmont	C	1,383	3	13.6:1	$20,737	55
32	Millburn Ccsd 24Old Mill Creek	C	1,103	2	12.5:1	$19,695	55
33	Teutopolis Cusd 50Teutopolis	C-	1,081	3	16:1	$10,949	54.7
34	Wheeling Ccsd 21Wheeling	C-	6,001	12	13.9:1	$23,330	54.5
35	Lake Zurich Cusd 95Lake Zurich	C-	5,626	8	14.5:1	$20,006	54.4
36	Hawthorn Ccsd 73Vernon Hills	C-	3,557	9	11.3:1	$19,084	54.3
37	Westchester Sd 92-5Westchester	C-	1,036	3	13.6:1	$16,301	54.3
38	Cusd 308Oswego	C-	16,940	21	15.2:1	$16,904	54.3
39	Crystal Lake Ccsd 47Crystal Lake	C-	7,109	12	12.7:1	$16,871	54.3
40	Hinsdale Ccsd 181Clarendon Hills	C-	3,609	9	12.3:1	$23,911	54
41	Leroy Cusd 2Le Roy	C-	778	3	11.9:1	$15,113	54
42	Western Springs Sd 101Western Springs	C-	1,466	4	11.4:1	$17,700	53.8
43	Wilmette Sd 39Wilmette	C-	3,333	6	12.1:1	$24,599	53.5
44	Ccsd 62Des Plaines	C-	4,261	11	10.8:1	$25,359	53.4
45	Fremont Sd 79Mundelein	C-	2,081	3	14:1	$17,197	53.3
46	Aurora East Usd 131Aurora	C-	12,619	18	14.9:1	$16,690	53.3
47	Township Hsd 211Palatine	C-	12,270	5	15.7:1	$26,471	53.2
48	Park Ridge Ccsd 64Niles	C-	4,671	8	14:1	$22,454	53.1
49	West Northfield Sd 31Northbrook	C-	945	2	10.9:1	$25,471	53
50	Woodridge Sd 68Woodridge	C-	2,708	7	13.5:1	$22,210	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.