SPRINGFIELD – Illinois students continue to build on years of progress, reaching new milestones in academic achievement, graduation rates, attendance, and college and career readiness, according to the 2026 Illinois Report Card released today by the Illinois State Board of Education. The data show encouraging statewide momentum across nearly every major indicator of student success.
“All across the state, Illinois schools are reaching new heights and the 2026 Report Card is just the latest demonstration of educational excellence and improvements,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to the hard work of our kids, the commitment of our teachers, and the historic investments from state government, Illinois is reaching record highs in graduation rates, improving proficiency across subjects, and unleashing the potential of every Illinois student.”
This year’s Report Card highlights progress across a range of academic and student success indicators while introducing Profiles of Performance, Illinois' redesigned accountability framework.
"The 2026 Illinois Report Card shows that Illinois students are making meaningful progress across the measures that matter most," said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. "We're seeing more students meeting grade-level expectations, graduating from high school on time, attending school consistently, and taking advantage of opportunities that prepare them for college and careers. These results reflect the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities across Illinois, as well as our continued commitment to investing in public education and evidence-based practices that help students succeed."
Graduation Rates Reach Record High
Illinois' four-year graduation rate reached 89.8% in 2026, marking a record high and continuing a long-term trend of improvement. Since 2012, the state's graduation rate has increased by more than nine percentage points and has now surpassed Illinois' Every Student Succeeds Act target of 88.9%, a milestone reached four years ahead of schedule.
Progress was observed across multiple student groups. English learners posted some of the largest gains, increasing their graduation rate by 6.2 percentage points since 2022. Strong improvements were also observed among Black students, Hispanic students, and students identifying with two or more races.
While a few student groups experienced modest year-to-year fluctuations, the longer-term trend remains positive. More Illinois students across a wide range of backgrounds are earning a diploma and preparing for success after high school.
Illinois Students Make Strong Academic Gains
Statewide proficiency increased across all three tested subjects in 2026, rising from 52.4% to 55.4% in English language arts (ELA), from 38.4% to 39.2% in math, and from 44.6% to 48.7% in science. Gains were observed across student groups and grade levels statewide.
ELA continued to show particularly strong results. Black students posted one of the largest improvements, increasing from 31.1% to 34.1%, while low-income students and students with disabilities also demonstrated meaningful gains. Students in Grades 6-8 led literacy improvement statewide, with eighth graders increasing proficiency from 56.3% to 62.5%, the largest year-over-year gain among tested grades. Student growth in ELA also remains above pre-pandemic levels across every student group measured, building on the work of Illinois' Comprehensive Literacy Plan.
Math proficiency also increased statewide, with gains observed across many student groups and six of the nine tested grades. Ninth-grade students posted the largest increase, rising from 37.7% to 41.7%. While math growth remains below pre-pandemic levels for most student groups, Illinois recently released its first statewide Numeracy Plan to strengthen mathematics instruction and accelerate achievement and growth in mathematics, building on lessons learned through implementation of the Comprehensive Literacy Plan.
Science demonstrated some of the strongest gains among the three tested subjects. Science proficiency increased across every student group measured, with Black students improving from 20.4% to 25.4%, low-income students improving from 27.7% to 32.1%, and English learners improving from 12.2% to 16.8%. Fifth- and eighth-grade students each improved proficiency by more than six percentage points. In 2025, Illinois adopted new proficiency benchmarks. This increase represents an apples-to-apples comparison of improvements among student groups.
Chronic Absenteeism Improves Across Student Groups
Chronic absenteeism declined for the fourth consecutive year, continuing Illinois' progress in reconnecting students to the classroom following pandemic-era disruptions. The statewide rate fell from 29.8% in 2022 to 23.5% in 2026, a 21.1% improvement.
ISBE emphasizes consistent attendance as the positive outcome schools are working toward: ensuring students are present, engaged, and connected to learning. Regular attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success and high school graduation.
Teacher Workforce Grows and Diversifies
Illinois schools now employ nearly 140,000 teachers, continuing a steady upward trend in filled teaching positions. Since 2019, the state has added more than 12,000 teachers statewide while also reducing the number of unfilled teaching positions. This growth has coincided with a decline in average class size, helping schools provide more individualized support for students, even as statewide student enrollment continues a long-term decline linked to broader population and birth rate trends.
The educator workforce also continues to become more reflective of Illinois' student population, with the number of Asian educators increasing 11%, Hispanic educators increasing 6%, and Black educators increasing 5.2% in 2026. Sustained state investments in recruitment, preparation, and retention continue to strengthen the educator pipeline across Illinois.
Student enrollment continued its long-term decline in 2026, decreasing 1.6% from the previous year. This trend generally aligns with declining birth rates both in Illinois and nationally, resulting in fewer school-age children entering the education system.
Students Are Career and College Ready
Participation in advanced coursework and career pathway programs remains strong across Illinois. More than 326,000 students participated in enriched or honors coursework in 2026, while nearly 160,000 students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses and more than 117,000 students participated in dual credit programs. These opportunities help students challenge themselves academically, earn college credit while still in high school, and reduce future college costs for families.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) also continued to gain momentum statewide. More than 290,000 students participated in CTE programs, while over 163,000 students completed focused career pathways as concentrators. The number of CTE concentrators has increased by more than 17% since 2024, reflecting growing student interest in career-focused learning experiences that prepare them for both college and the workforce.
A Redesigned Accountability System for Illinois Schools
Beginning with the 2026 Illinois Report Card, ISBE is implementing a redesigned accountability system built around Profiles of Performance. Developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, the new system is designed to provide clearer expectations, support continuous improvement, and give families and educators a more meaningful picture of school performance.
The new framework expands opportunities for schools to earn Exemplary recognition by meeting clearly defined statewide criteria rather than being limited to a top percentage of schools. Under the previous accountability system, approximately 10% of schools were designated Exemplary. Under Profiles of Performance, 28.3% of schools met Exemplary criteria. The redesign also provides greater differentiation among schools by replacing the former broad Commendable category, which included 73.4% of schools, with multiple performance levels that provide a clearer picture of school strengths and opportunities for growth.
The Profiles of Performance model evaluates schools using a broad range of indicators, including proficiency, student growth, graduation rates, consistent attendance, climate survey participation, and English learner progress. Schools will now be evaluated against clearly defined performance criteria rather than solely in relation to one another, making results easier to understand and use for improvement.
The 2026 Illinois Report Card provides a snapshot of school performance data from the 2025-26 school year. Visit IllinoisReportCard.com for interactive data visualizations and school, district, and statewide Report Card information. Additional resources, including statewide trend data, student growth data, and downloadable Report Card datasets, are available through ISBE’s Report Card webpage.
