These Are The Top Elementary Schools In IL, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center in Chicago is 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 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Elementary schools are considered K-6 in the analysis.

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. The Lane Elementary School, Hinsdale
5. Decatur Classical Elementary School, Chicago
6. Meadow Glens Elementary School, Naperville
7. Elm Elementary School, Burr Ridge
8. Westmoor Elementary School, Northbrook
9. Prospect Elementary School, Clarendon Hills
10. Ellsworth Elementary School, Naperville
11. Walker School, Naperville
12. Wescott Elementary School, Northbrook
13. Hawthorne Elementary School, Chicago
14. Greenbriar Elementary School, Northbrook
15. Lincoln Elementary School, Chicago
16. Eisenhower Academy, Joliet
17. Monroe Elementary School, Hinsdale
18. Hough Elementary School, Barrington
19. Highlands Elementary School, La Grange Highlands
20. Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center, Chicago
21. Chelsea Elementary School, Frankfort
22. Romona Elementary School, Wilmette
23. Oak Grove Elementary School, Libertyville
24. Barbara B. Rose Elementary School, South Barrington
25. George B. Carpenter Elementary School, Park Ridge

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for recognition.

The rankings methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.