The 5Essentials Survey identifies five indicators that lead to improved outcomes for all students, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.
The five indicators that positively affect school success are:
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environments
- Ambitious Instruction
Research derived from the Five Essentials for School Success has proven that schools strong on at least three of the 5Essentials are 10 times more likely to improve student outcomes.
Schools across Illinois participated in the Tenth annual 5Essentials Survey of Learning Conditions: Organizing Schools for Improvement this past academic year. This survey generates valuable data that districts can use to guide their ongoing efforts to improve schools and to offer students an excellent education. The survey is another improvement tool that allows districts and the state to share data as a means to inform parents and community members about the school’s learning environment. The Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by
UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. Data and indicators are a result from an anonymous administration of the survey instrument.
The 2025–26 5Essentials Survey administration window is scheduled for February 3 through March 13, 2026, for all districts and schools except Chicago Public Schools (CPS) District 299. The CPS survey window is expected to open one week later, on February 10, 2026.
Participation and Rostering Requirements:
- Eligible Schools: All public school districts and schools, including those with RCDTS codes beginning with 3 (e.g., 3XXX), are automatically rostered unless they have been approved for an alternate survey.
- Administrator rosters are generated from the Administrator of Record identified via the Entity Profile System (EPS).
- Teacher rosters are generated using data from the Employment Information System (EIS). For teachers with multiple school assignments, their "Primary Working Location" in EIS will determine the school to which they are rostered. Valid teacher and staff emails are required for participation.
- Student Rosters: Student rosters for grades 4 through 12 are generated from enrollments in the Student Information System (SIS). Student exclusions are limited to those correctly coded in I-Star with an IEP or those with an English Learner (EL) record (other than Spanish) in SIS.
Next Steps:
5ESSENTIALS SURVEY ADMINISTRATION WINDOW OPENS FEBRUARY 3, 2026
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be open February 3 through March 13, 2026. Districts are required to administer the survey annually unless they have formally opted into an approved alternative through the Illinois Improvement Framework.
The 5Essentials is a key component of Illinois’ accountability system and contributes to the non-academic indicators used in the Summative Designation for accountability. Survey results provide valuable insights into school climate and organizational conditions that support student success.
About the Illinois 5Essentials Survey
The Illinois State Board of Education has partnered with UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago since the 2012-2013 school year to administer a school climate survey.
Resources and Support
To support districts and schools during this administration window, the following resources will be made available:
- Communication Toolkit, Survey FAQs, and Survey Administration Manual
- 5Essentials Orientation Webinars - Click the links below to register.
Reports can be accessed by visiting the
5Essentials website and searching by school name or district name. Please note: Some schools opt to participate in an approved alternate survey; those reports cannot be accessed using the link included above.
