Wilmette, Kenilworth K-8 Schools Ranked Among Top 20 In Illinois

WILMETTE, IL — Several elementary and middle schools in Wilmette and Kenilworth have been ranked among the best in Illinois, according to a new rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list of the nation's best public elementary and middle schools, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 K-8 schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels as middle schools and elementary schools. The best charter schools and best magnet schools are ranked as stand-alone categories. Schools that include both elementary and middle school-aged schools are included in both categories. The list does not included private or religious schools.

U.S. News ranked Marie Murphy School, in Avoca School District 37, as No. 16 among middle schools in the state. It is the fifth highest-ranked on the North Shore and the second highest ranked among among New Trier Township High School feeder districts, trailing only Carleton W. Washburne School in Winnetka School District 36.

And among elementary schools, the Joseph Sears School was ranked 18th in the state. That puts the one-school Kenilworth School District 38 it as the second-highest New Trier feeder school, behind only Greeley Elementary School in District 36. It is the fifth-highest ranked elementary school on the North Shore, trailing Walden and Braeside elementary schools, in Deerfield and Highland Park respectively.

Here’s a look at how other schools in Wilmette area districts ranked compared with others in the state:

Elementary schools:

• No. 28: Sunset Ridge Elementary School, Sunset Ridge School District 29
• No. 33: Avoca West Elementary School, Avoca School District 37
• No. 42: Romona Elementary School, Wilmette School District 39
• No. 75: Middlefork Primary School, Sunset Ridge School District 29
• No. 96: Central Elementary School, Wilmette School District 39
• No. 279: McKenzie Elementary School, Wilmette School District 39
• No. 788: Harper Elementary School, Wilmette School District 39

Middle schools:

• No. 33: Sunset Ridge Elementary School, Sunset Ridge School District 29
• No. 51: The Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth School District 38
• No. 62: Highcrest Middle School, Wilmette School District 39
• No. 66: Wilmette Junior High School, Wilmette School District 39

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.

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