Illinois · NCES CCD 2022-23

Best 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
189,958
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 70
3 Pleasantdale SD 107 Burr Ridge B- 65.5
4 Libertyville SD 70 Libertyville C+ 63.8
5 Riverside SD 96 Riverside C+ 62.4
6 Elmhurst SD 205 Elmhurst C+ 61.7
7 North Shore SD 112 Highland Park C+ 61.6
8 Downers Grove GSD 58 Downers Grove C+ 61.1
9 Geneva CUSD 304 Geneva C+ 61
10 Oak Park ESD 97 Oak Park C+ 60.9
11 Barrington CUSD 220 Barrington C+ 60.8
12 Glenview CCSD 34 Glenview C+ 60.3
13 Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102 Buffalo Grove C+ 60.3
14 La Grange SD 102 La Grange Park C+ 60.2
15 Palos CCSD 118 Palos Park C 59.7
16 La Grange SD 105 South La Grange C 59.4
17 Batavia USD 101 Batavia C 58.5
18 Benjamin SD 25 West Chicago C 58.5
19 Northbrook ESD 27 Northbrook C 57.7
20 Winnetka SD 36 Winnetka C 57.4
21 CUSD 200 Wheaton C 57.3
22 Glen Ellyn SD 41 Glen Ellyn C 56.6
23 CCSD 146 Tinley Park C 56.2
24 Lake Forest SD 67 Lake Forest C 56.2
25 Lincolnwood SD 74 Lincolnwood C 56
26 Deerfield SD 109 Deerfield C 55.8
27 Maercker SD 60 Westmont C 55.7
28 CCSD 89 Glen Ellyn C 55.6
29 Wheeling CCSD 21 Wheeling C 55.2
30 Lake Zurich CUSD 95 Lake Zurich C 55.1
31 Millburn CCSD 24 Old Mill Creek C 55
32 Johnsburg CUSD 12 Johnsburg C- 54.8
33 Teutopolis CUSD 50 Teutopolis C- 54.7
34 Avoca SD 37 Wilmette C- 54.5
35 CUSD 308 Oswego C- 54.4
36 Hawthorn CCSD 73 Vernon Hills C- 54.3
37 Westchester SD 92-5 Westchester C- 54.3
38 Woodridge SD 68 Woodridge C- 54.3
39 River Trails SD 26 Mt Prospect C- 54.3
40 Hinsdale CCSD 181 Clarendon Hills C- 54
41 West Chicago ESD 33 West Chicago C- 54
42 West Northfield SD 31 Northbrook C- 54
43 CCSD 62 Des Plaines C- 53.8
44 Crystal Lake CCSD 47 Crystal Lake C- 53.7
45 Park Ridge CCSD 64 Niles C- 53.5
46 Wilmette SD 39 Wilmette C- 53.5
47 Fremont SD 79 Mundelein C- 53.3
48 Will County SD 92 Lockport C- 53.3
49 Township HSD 211 Palatine C- 53.2
50 Aurora East USD 131 Aurora C- 53.1

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 14.6:1.

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) 2022-23 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.