District 118 Schools Rank High in Latest US News & World Report List

Palos School District 118 schools ranked high in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top elementary and middle schools in Illinois. Schools are ranked based on their performance on state-required tests, graduation, and how well they prepare their students for high school.

Palos South Middle School placed at #70 out of 1243 middle schools in the state, up from #83 in 2021. Palos South earned high marks for reading and math proficiency and student performances “well above expectations” in both subject areas. The school was recently recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as an exemplary school.

Both of Palos 118’s elementary schools ranked in the top 200 in the state, with Palos West Elementary positioned at #128, and Palos East Elementary at #183 out of 2038 elementary schools in Illinois. Both elementary schools’ performance was rated as “well above expectations” in reading and math performance.

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Anthony Scarsella, said that in the most recent Illinois State Report Card, in the category of English Language Arts (ELA), Palos 118 students placed in the 97th percentile and the 93rd percentile for meeting or exceeding state standards in math. In the category of eighth graders passing Algebra I, the District placed in the 97th percentile. Palos 118 was among the top districts in their performance in science statewide, was among the highest performers in science in South Cook and was among only 6 school districts in the state that spent less per student and had higher achievement in reading.

He said that the District spent approximately $1,000 less per student than the state average with nearly double the percent of students meeting or exceeding in both reading and math compared to the state average. All schools in the past three years have been recognized for their academic excellence, he said, noting that both Palos East and Palos South were named exemplary schools by the State Board of Education and Palos West having been named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2022.

He said the District has long history of being fiscally responsible with taxpayer funds while also delivering impressive results academically.

“I’m proud that we can continue our long standing tradition of being a low-spending, high-achieving district,” said Dr. Scarsella.