IL Report Cards Released For 2026: See How Your School Performed

ILLINOIS — How well is your child's school performing?

Illinois parents can find out with the release of the 2026 Illinois School Report Card on Friday, offering a detailed look at academic achievement, attendance, graduation rates and other measures at public schools throughout the state.

The annual report, released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), includes information from the 2025-26 school year and allows families to examine results for individual schools, districts and the state as a whole. This year's results show improvements in reading, math and science proficiency, along with a record-high four-year graduation rate of 89.8 percent, according to an ISBE news release provided to Patch on Friday.

The report also introduces significant changes to how Illinois evaluates school performance.

How Did Illinois Schools Perform In 2026?

Statewide English language arts proficiency increased from 52.4 percent in 2025 to 55.4 percent in 2026, while math proficiency rose from 38.4 percent to 39.2 percent, according to ISBE.

Science proficiency showed a larger increase, climbing from 44.6 percent to 48.7 percent. The statewide four-year high school graduation rate reached 89.8 percent, a record high that exceeds the state's Every Student Succeeds Act target of 88.9 percent four years ahead of schedule, state education officials said.

Some of the largest academic gains occurred among eighth graders, whose English language arts proficiency increased from 56.3 percent to 62.5 percent. Ninth graders recorded the largest year-over-year math proficiency increase among tested grades, rising from 37.7 percent to 41.7 percent, according to ISBE.

Chronic absenteeism also declined for the fourth consecutive year, falling from 29.8 percent in 2022 to 23.5 percent in 2026, according to ISBE. Chronic absenteeism generally refers to students missing at least 10 percent of school days.

Illinois schools now employ nearly 140,000 teachers, more than 12,000 additional educators compared with 2019. Meanwhile, statewide student enrollment declined 1.6 percent from the previous year, continuing a longer-term decrease, according to the state.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders said the results reflect progress across multiple measures of student achievement.

"The 2026 Illinois Report Card shows that Illinois students are making meaningful progress across the measures that matter most," Sanders said in Friday's announcement. "We're seeing more students meeting grade-level expectations, graduating from high school on time, attending school consistently, and taking advantage of opportunities that prepare them for college and careers."

The state adopted new proficiency benchmarks in 2025, meaning the 2025 and 2026 figures provide a more appropriate year-over-year comparison than results from earlier years, according to ISBE.

How Did Suburban School Districts Perform?

Several suburban school districts also reported academic gains Friday.

In McHenry County, Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 reported 61.7 percent of students demonstrated proficiency in English language arts, while math proficiency reached 43.6 percent and science proficiency climbed to 58.4 percent.

Eight of the district's 12 schools received Exemplary designations, and nearly 89 percent of students met the state's standard for consistent attendance, district officials said. The district also reported that chronic absenteeism declined by 33 percent over the past year.

"It is encouraging to see our student proficiency scores grow after introducing a new math and ELA curriculum over the past few years," District 47 Superintendent Dr. Kathy Hinz said. "We also know that regular school attendance has a lasting impact on both academic and social development."

"Focusing on attendance was an important part of our strategic plan, and by partnering closely with parents and adding extra support, we are already seeing the benefits of those efforts," Hinz added.

Meanwhile, Huntley Community School District 158 reported that four schools — Huntley High School and Conley, Leggee and Martin elementary schools — received Exemplary designations, while three schools earned Approaching Exemplary ratings and Heineman Middle School received a Commendable designation, according to information provided by the district and its Illinois Report Card resources.

Math proficiency increased by 1.4 percentage points, while English language arts proficiency improved by 2.5 percentage points over the previous year. Mathematics growth on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness increased by 3.6 percentage points, and Huntley High School maintained a graduation rate of 94 percent.

"We are incredibly proud to see more of our schools earn Exemplary status this year, reflecting the dedication of our students, the exceptional work of our educators and staff, and the strong support of our families," Superintendent Jessica Lombard said.

The district will host a public curriculum workshop from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at its district office, 650 Dr. John Burkey Drive in Algonquin, to review report card results, discuss academic trends and explain school improvement priorities.

What's Different About The 2026 School Report Card?

One of the biggest changes this year involves the state's new Profiles of Performance accountability framework, which evaluates schools using multiple indicators, including academic proficiency, student growth, graduation rates, attendance and school climate.

Under the revised framework, schools receive one of five designations: Exemplary, Approaching Exemplary, Commendable, Developing or Comprehensive, according to ISBE's accountability guidance. Under the previous accountability system, approximately 10 percent of schools received an Exemplary designation. Under Profiles of Performance, 28.3 percent of Illinois schools met the criteria for Exemplary in 2026, according to ISBE's Friday announcement.

The increase reflects changes to how schools are evaluated and should not automatically be interpreted as a comparable improvement in academic performance. The new system measures schools against established performance criteria rather than limiting the highest designation to a fixed percentage of schools.

How To Find Your School's 2026 Report Card

Parents can search for their child's school or district at IllinoisReportCard.com, the state's official online database of public school performance information.

Families can search for a school or district and review academic performance, student growth, attendance, school environment and educator information through the state's interactive report card tools. The website allows families to compare school and district performance, review trends and examine results for different student groups. Printable report cards are also available through the state's reporting resources.

What Should Parents Look For?

Beyond a school's overall designation, parents may want to review reading and math proficiency, student growth, attendance and graduation rates, where applicable. These measures provide different perspectives on school performance, according to ISBE's accountability guidance.

Families may also want to examine whether their school has made academic progress over time, how its results compare with district and statewide averages, and what additional academic support is available to students. Individual student scores are not published through the public report card.

Parents seeking information about their child's academic performance should contact their teacher or school.

The complete 2026 Illinois School Report Card is available at IllinoisReportCard.com. Additional statewide data, explanations of performance measures and downloadable reporting resources are available through the Illinois State Board of Education.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.