40 Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

NAPERVILLE, IL — Several elementary and middle schools in Naperville Community School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 have been ranked among the best in Illinois, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked Meadows Glens Elementary School as the highest in the state among schools in Naperville District 203, according to the new list. Meadows Glens was ranked No. 5.

Here's a look at how other schools District 203 ranked compared with others in the state:

: SCHOOL NAME, DISTRICT
13: Highlands Elementary School, District 2o3
19: Kennedy Junior High, DISTRICT 203
31: Madison Junior High, DISTRICT 2o3
45: River Woods Elementary School, DISTRICT 203

U.S. News ranked Gregory Middle School as the highest in the state among schools in Indian Prairie District 204, according to the new list. Gregory Middle School was ranked No. 48.

Here's a look at how other schools in Indian Prairie District 204 ranked compared with others in the state:

: SCHOOL NAME, DISTRICT
49: Scullen Middle School, District 2o4
57: Clifford Crone Middle School, DISTRICT 204
108: V Blanche Graham Elementary School, DISTRICT 2o4
122: Gwendolen Brooks Elementary School, DISTRICT 204

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021's Best K-8 Schools.