A number of schools in Chicago and its suburbs have been named among the top elementary schools in Illinois, according to a new list.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools list examined more than 79,000 public schools in all 50 states, a press release said. Using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education, the editors analyzed math and reading performance at the state and district level, taking into account student background and performance in core subjects.
For a school corporation to earn a district-level ranking, at least two of its top-performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings, according to the website. In total, 47,573 primary schools and 23,861 secondary schools were assessed.
A total of 3,421 schools were ranked in Illinois. Seven of the top 25 schools in the state were Chicago Public Schools, including the top school, the Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center.
Almost all of the top 25 schools were in the city or suburbs, with the exception of Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Rockford, which ranked 10th, and Congerville Elementary School in downstate Woodford County, which ranked 22nd.
Edison Elementary School Regional Gifted Center was followed by Oak Elementary School in Hinsdale in second place and Meadows Glen Elementary School in Naperville in third place. Lennart Elementary School Regional Gifted Center, Chicago Public Schools and Brook Forest Elementary School rounded out the top five.
Take a look at the top 25 elementary schools in Illinois, according to the report.
Edison Elementary School Regional Gifted Center – Chicago Oak Elementary School – Hinsdale Meadows Glen Elementary School – Naperville Rennert Elementary School Regional Gifted Center – Chicago Brook Forest Elementary School – Oak Brook Elm Elementary School – Burr Ridge Forest Hills Elementary School – Western Springs The Lane Elementary School – Hinsdale Eisenhower Academy – Joliet Thurgood Marshall Elementary School – Rockford Skinner North Elementary School – Chicago Greenbrier Elementary School – Northbrook Westmoor Elementary School – Northbrook Ellsworth Elementary School – Naperville Prospect Elementary School – Clarendon Hills Walker School – Clarendon Hills Lincoln Elementary School – River Forest Highlands Elementary School – Naperville Bronzeville Classic Elementary School – Chicago George B. Carpenter Elementary School – Park Ridge Madison Elementary School – Hinsdale Congerville Elementary School – Congerville Decatur Classical Elementary School – Chicago Lincoln Elementary School – Chicago Hawthorne Elementary Education Academy – Chicago
