Illinois · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best Public Schools in Illinois

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score, based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

78/100
Top score
B+
Top grade
69/100
Avg score (top 50)
50
Schools ranked

The ranking in one line

Edison Elem School in Elmhurst is Illinois's top-resourced public school, scoring 78/100 on the NCES resource index.

78/100
top score (grade B+)
1
schools at the top grade (B+)
69/100
average across the top 50
# School GradeScore
1 Edison Elem School Elmhurst B+ 78
2 Greenbriar Elem School Northbrook B 74
3 Westmoor Elem School Northbrook B 73
4 Ravinia Elem School Highland Park B 73
5 Hawthorne Elem School Wheaton B 73
6 Walden Elem School Deerfield B 72
7 Willowbrook Elem School Glenview B 72
8 Indian Knoll Elem School West Chicago B 71
9 Northbrook Junior High School Northbrook B 70
10 Maple School Northbrook B 70
11 Fred Rodgers Magnet Acad Aurora B 70
12 Springman Middle School Glenview B- 69
13 Butterfield School Libertyville B- 69
14 Oak Terrace Elem School Highwood B- 69
15 Cossitt Ave Elem School La Grange B- 69
16 Patterson Elementary School Naperville B- 69
17 Kingsley Elem School Downers Grove B- 69
18 Lowell Elem School Wheaton B- 69
19 Braeside Elem School Highland Park B- 69
20 Adler Park School Libertyville B- 69
21 Red Oak Elem School Highland Park B- 69
22 Forest Elem School Des Plaines B- 68
23 Central Road Elem School Rolling Meadows B- 68
24 Wescott Elementary School Northbrook B- 68
25 Bower Elem School Warrenville B- 68
26 Glen Grove Elem School Glenview B- 68
27 Copeland Manor Elem School Libertyville B- 68
28 Pleasantdale Middle Sch Burr Ridge B- 68
29 Benjamin Middle School West Chicago B- 68
30 Fabyan Elementary School Geneva B- 68
31 Seventh Ave Elem School La Grange B- 68
32 Theodore Roosevelt Elem School Park Ridge B- 67
33 Meadowbrook Elem School Northbrook B- 67
34 Wayne Thomas Elem School Highland Park B- 67
35 Charles J Caruso Middle School Deerfield B- 67
36 George B Carpenter Elem School Park Ridge B- 67
37 Whittier Elem School Wheaton B- 67
38 Horace Mann Elem School Oak Park B- 67
39 Alice Gustafson Elem School Batavia B- 67
40 William Beye Elem School Oak Park B- 67
41 Johnsburg Elementary School Johnsburg B- 67
42 Grace Mcwayne Elementary School Batavia B- 67
43 Mill Creek School Geneva B- 67
44 Wayne Builta Elementary School Bolingbrook B- 67
45 Sherwood Elem School Highland Park B- 67
46 J W Riley Elem School Arlington Heights B- 67
47 Blythe Park Elem School Riverside B- 67
48 Hawthorne Elem School Elmhurst B- 66
49 Northwood Middle School Highland Park B- 66
50 Marion Jordan Elem School Palatine B- 66

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in Illinois? ▼

The top-rated school in Illinois is Edison Elem School in Elmhurst with a quality score of 78/100 (grade B+). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for Illinois

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

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. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

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