Helpful links
District 202’s graduation rates rose, the district is retaining a majority of its teachers, and more than half of the district’s schools earned high marks according to the 2025-2026 Illinois State Report Card.
The Illinois State Board of Education released the annual Illinois Report Card on Friday, October 30, 2026. The Report Card contains school performance data from the 2025-2026 school year.
The report provides a snapshot of school performance, highlighting areas of success as well as opportunities for continued improvement.
“The data shared on the report card reflect the priorities identified in our Strategic Plan including the investment in Career and Technology Education, an increase in the high school course offerings, the focus on improvement in both Math and English Language Arts across all grade levels, the recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff, and the commitment to fiscal responsibility to our community,” said Dr. Paula Sereleas, District 202 Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
Here are the 2026 Report Card areas of highlight:
Eight schools received an Exemplary Designation
Ten schools received an Approaching Exemplary Designation
93.6 percent graduation rate across all high schools
14 percent of English Learners exited from Bilingual Education, double the percentage of the state average. English learner progress outperformed the state average by 4 percent.
91.3 percent teacher retention
Families may also notice a greater emphasis on consistent attendance in this year’s Report Card.
Regular attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success and high school graduation, Sereleas said.
Consistent attendance is newly defined as the percentage of students who are present for 90 percent or more of the school year. District 202 had an average daily attendance of 93.1 percent last year. However, 20.1 percent of students were chronically absent. Meaning, 20.1 percent of students missed 10 percent of school days with or without a valid excuse.
“This is an area where we will continue to ask families to partner with us to improve this outcome,” she said.
Attendance beginning in kindergarten and throughout a child’s school experience has a strong positive impact on third grade reading levels, ninth grade success, graduation rates, and postsecondary success, Sereleas said.
Solid attendance contributes to positive peer friendships, relationships at school, and overall student achievement, she said.
New Profiles of Performance
This year, the Illinois Report Card includes new Profiles of Performance, which replace the state's previous accountability designations. These profiles are based on multiple measures of school performance and provide families with additional information about how schools are performing across a range of indicators.
Exemplary recognizes the top-performing schools. Central, Creekside, Eagle Pointe, Eichelberger, Freedom, Lincoln, Walker’s Grove elementary schools, and Plainfield North High School earned this designation.
Charles Reed, Grand Prairie, Lakewood Falls elementary schools, Heritage Grove, Ira Jones, and Timber Ridge middle schools, Plainfield High School-Central Campus, Plainfield East and Plainfield South high schools earned the Approaching Exemplary designation.
A Commendable designation means schools have multiple patterns of positive performance and areas for improvement. Crystal Lawns, Liberty, Meadow View, River View, Ridge, Wallin Oaks elementary schools, Aux Sable, Drauden Point, and Indian Trail middle schools earned this designation.
Developing schools have greater areas of improvement. Wesmere Elementary School is in this category.
Comprehensive is assigned to low-performing schools. No District 202 school fell into this category.
The Illinois State Board of Education also provides targeted assistance to schools that received Commendable designations with a specific group of students in need of improved achievement and/or academic growth. These schools will receive additional funding and support over the next four years to address improvement in specific subgroups including River View, Meadow View, Ridge, Liberty, Thomas Jefferson, Crystal Lawns, and Wallin Oaks elementary schools.
Future focus
In the coming year, District 202 will focus on improving student math and reading achievement. The district will also continue focusing on:
Growth in kindergarten readiness in math, literacy, and social-emotional development
Math growth from grade three to grade four on the IAR assessment
Closing the achievement gap between student groups on ACT and IAR
Measured growth from PreACT to ACT year over year at the high school level
Exposing students to career planning throughout middle and high school
Increasing the number of eighth-grade students taking and passing Algebra I for high school credit