3 IL Children’s Hospitals Among Nation’s Best: U.S. News Rankings

ACROSS ILLINOIS — Three children’s hospitals in Illinois have been named among the best in the country in a new U.S. News & World Report ranking that for the first time includes pediatric and adolescent behavioral health specialty rankings.

Meanwhile, two Illinois hospitals were ranked among the top 50 nationally for behavioral health services in the 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings.

Here’s how Illinois hospitals performed.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago was ranked at first in the state for pediatric hospitals: The hospital has also been ranked among the top 50 hospitals for behavioral health services.

University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago was ranked second in the state for pediatric hospitals: The hospital has also been ranked among the top 50 hospitals for behavioral health services.

Advocate Children's Hospital, Oak Lawn was ranked third in the state for pediatric hospitals.

The hospitals were evaluated across 11 pediatric specialties. U.S. News chief of health analysis and managing editor Ben Harder said the inclusion of behavioral health specialty hospitals is a reflection of the changing needs of society.

“This year’s inclusion of behavioral health as a new specialty is significant, as 1 in 5 U.S. children has a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder, according to the Department of Health and Human Services,” Harder said in a news release. “U.S. News is responding to the growing mental health crisis among America’s youth by giving families a valuable source of behavioral health data as part of our increasingly comprehensive view of pediatric care.”

For the 2024–2025 rankings, U.S. News, together with RTI International, a North Carolina-based research and consulting firm, collected and analyzed data from 108 children’s hospitals and surveyed thousands of pediatric specialists.

Here are the nation’s top three hospitals by specialty area:

Pediatric Cancer
1. Cincinnati Children's
2. Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
3. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery
1. Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
2. MUSC Children's Heart Network of South Carolina, Charleston
3. Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego

Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery
1. Boston Children's Hospital
2. Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
3. Cincinnati Children's

Pediatric Orthopedics
1. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
2. Children's Medical Center Dallas-Scottish Rite for Children
3. Cincinnati Children's

Hospitals on 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll that are either ranked No. 1 or tied for No. 1 in its state and region:

Boston Children's Hospital
Children's Hospital Colorado
Aurora Children's Hospital, Los Angeles
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
Cincinnati Children's Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego
Seattle Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, Houston