These Are The 25 Best Elementary Schools in IL: U.S. News

Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center in Chicago was named the best public elementary school in Illinois, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2027 ranking of the nation's best public elementary schools on the latest publicly available data from state education agencies by RTI International, alongside data from the U.S. Department of Education. In the past, the state reports weren’t part of the methodology.

The data from the state agencies provides a more comprehensive assessment of student performance in reading and mathematics across all proficiency levels while continuing to account for student background and absolute performance on state assessments.

“By incorporating direct state data across all proficiency levels, the 2027 rankings offer a richer, more complete picture of how elementary and middle schools are driving student growth,” Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis, said in a news release.

Elementary schools are those offering either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 education. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered. The report includes 46,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels. Charter schools are a stand-alone category.

The top 25 public elementary schools in Illinois are:

1. Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center, Chicago
2. Skinner North Elementary School, Chicago
3. Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Rockford
4. Keller Elementary Gifted Magnet School, Chicago
5. Meadow Glens Elementary School, Naperville
6. Elm Elementary School, Burr Ridge
7. Ellsworth Elementary School, Naperville
8. Hawthorne Elementary Scholastic Academy, Chicago
9. Decatur Classical Elementary School, Chicago
10. Hollywood Elementary School, Brookfield
11. Westmoor Elementary School, Northbrook
12. Wescott Elementary School, Northbrook
13. Prospect Elementary School, Clarendon Hills
14. Monroe Elementary School, Hinsdale
15. Lincoln Elementary School, River Forest
16. McDade Elementary Classical School, Chicago
17. Adler Park School, Libertyville
18. Madison Elementary School, Hinsdale
19. Meadowbrook Elementary School, Northbrook
20. Jefferson Elementary School, Elmhurst
21. The Lane Elementary School, Hinsdale
22. New Simpson Hill District 32, Tunnel Hill
23. Romona Elementary School, Wilmette
24. Highlands Elementary School, Naperville
25. Lincoln Elementary School, Chicago