IL Report Cards Released For 2026: See How Your School Performed

ILLINOIS — How well is your child's school performing?

Illinois parents can find out with the release of the 2026 Illinois School Report Card on Friday, which is meant to offer a detailed look at academic achievement, attendance, graduation rates and other measures for public schools throughout the state. The annual report, released by the Illinois State Board of Education, includes information from the 2025-26 school year and allows families to look at results for their individual schools, districts and the state as a whole, according to the Illinois Association of School Boards.

This year's results show improvements in several academic measures, including reading, math and science proficiency, along with a record-high four-year graduation rate, according to media reports. The report also introduces significant changes to how Illinois evaluates school performance, state education officials said.

How Did Illinois Schools Perform In 2026?

Statewide English language arts proficiency increased from 52.4 percent in 2025 to 55.4 percent in 2026, while math proficiency rose from 38.4 percent to 39.2 percent, according to figures published Friday by the Daily Herald. Science proficiency showed a larger increase, climbing from 44.6 percent to 48.7 percent. The statewide four-year high school graduation rate also reached a record 89.8 percent.

Some of the largest academic gains occurred among eighth graders, whose English language arts proficiency increased from 56.3 percent to 62.5 percent. Ninth graders recorded the largest year-over-year math proficiency increase among tested grades, rising from 37.7 percent to 41.7 percent, the Daily Herald is reporting.

Chronic absenteeism also declined for the fourth consecutive year, although attendance remains below pre-pandemic levels. About 23 percent of students outside Chicago were considered chronically absent in 2026, according to Chalkbeat's analysis of the state results. Chronic absenteeism generally means missing at least 10 percent of school days.

The results come with an important qualification: Illinois changed its proficiency benchmarks in 2025. As a result, the new reading and math proficiency percentages should not be directly compared with scores reported before the change, according to Chalkbeat.

What's Different About The 2026 School Report Card?

One of the biggest changes involves the state's new Profiles of Performance accountability framework, which evaluates schools using multiple indicators, including academic proficiency, student growth and graduation rates.

Under the revised framework, schools receive one of five designations: Exemplary, Approaching Exemplary, Commendable, Developing or Comprehensive. The system considers academic outcomes along with additional measures, including English learner progress, consistent attendance and school climate, according to the ISBE.

Approximately 28 percent of Illinois schools received an Exemplary designation in 2026, compared with the 10 percent permitted under the previous system. The increase largely reflects changes to how schools are classified, rather than establishing that the same proportion of schools improved academically, according to the Daily Herald.

The revised system also places greater emphasis on student growth, which measures academic progress over time rather than focusing exclusively on whether students meet proficiency standards. ISBE provides additional guidance on how the new designations are calculated.

How To Find Your School's 2026 Report Card

Parents can search for their child's school or district at IllinoisReportCard.com, the state's official online database of public school performance information. According to the state's Illinois Report Card website, families can find results by entering a school or district name, city, address or ZIP code.

After selecting a school, parents can review information about academic progress, school environment, students and educators. The site also includes an At-a-Glance report, which provides a printable summary of key school information, according to the state's online report card guide.

Families can compare school results, examine performance trends and explore additional information through the state's interactive report card tools.

What Should Parents Look For?

Beyond a school's overall designation, parents may want to review reading and math proficiency, student academic growth, attendance and graduation rates. These measures provide different perspectives on school performance and are explained through ISBE's accountability resources.

Parents should also consider how their school's results compare with district and statewide averages, whether academic performance is improving over time and how different student groups are performing. The Illinois Report Card provides school-level information to help families examine those questions.

Individual student test scores are not available through the public report card because they are confidential. Parents seeking information about their child's academic performance should contact their teacher or school, according to the ISBE.

Illinois school districts are required to make school report cards available to families. Districts that maintain websites must publish the reports online and notify parents how to obtain them, including how to request a printed copy, according to the state's report card guidance.

The complete 2026 Illinois School Report Card is available at IllinoisReportCard.com. Additional information about the state's performance measures and downloadable data is available through the Illinois State Board of Education.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.