2026’s Top 10 School Districts In Illinois Have Been Named

School district quality can really run the gamut.

Think of the qualities you want in a school you send your kid to: good academics, good atmosphere, a place you know that they'll learn a lot. There are a lot of factors that can go into what school you choose to send your kid to.

Niche has done their research in the Land of Lincoln and has come up with the best school districts in Illinois.

To come up with this list, Niche looked at the schools' state test scores, graduation rates, and more stats before placing them into these categories:

• Academics
  • State assessment proficiency
  • College enrollment data
  • Survey responses on academics from students and parents
• Teachers
  • Teacher salary
  • Teacher absenteeism
  • State test results
  • Survey responses on teachers from students and parents
• Culture & Diversity
  • Racial and economic diversity
  • Survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents
• Parent/Student Survey On Overall Experience
  • Survey responses on a 1-5 scale regarding the overall experience of students and parents in the district
• Resources & Facilities
  • Expenses per student
  • Staffing
  • Survey responses on facilities from students and parents
• Clubs & Activities
  • Expenses per student
  • Survey responses on clubs and activities from students and parents
• Sports
  • Number of sports
  • Participation
  • Survey responses on athletics and athletic facilities from students and parents

Each school got a 'Niche grade' off of how they performed in each of those areas. Niche didn't count ACT/SAT scores in their 'grade' this year, "to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process".

Scroll down to see the top 10 school districts in Illinois for 2026!