Copyright NBC 5 Chicago
Several Chicago Public Schools were ranked among the "Best Elementary Schools" in Illinois for 2025-26 in a new list from U.S. News and World Report, a Rockford school cracking the top 5 and elementary schools across the suburbs rounding out the top 25. The report, which ranked both Elementary Schools and Middle Schools, was released Tuesday. According to editors, it includes more than 47,000 public elementary schools and more than 23,000 middle schools, ranking them at the state and district level by data from the U.S. Department of Education. The methodology also focused on state assessments of students who were proficient or higher in math, reading and language arts. It also accounted for student-teacher ratios, student backgrounds and achievement in core subjects, a release said. The No. 1 elementary school in Illinois, according to the list, was Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center, a selective-enrollment school on the Northwest side within Chicago Public Schools. While 87% of the students at Edison scored at or above the proficiency level for reading and math, it's student-teacher ratio of 15:1 is worse than the rest of the district, the report says. Skinner North Elementary School, also located in Chicago, at 640 W Scott St., came in No. 2. The elementary school that came in 3rd place was Thurgood Marshall Elementary, in Rockford, the list said. The first suburban school district to make the list was The Lane Elementary School in Hinsdale, followed by Meadow Glens Elementary School in Naperville. The full report, which includes more ranked elementary and middle schools, can be found here. A full list of the top 25 elementary schools in Illinois is below: Top 25 Elementary Schools in Illinois
