Does your child attend one of IL’s 10 best middle schools. See US News’ top picks
A Chicago institution with a 92% math proficiency rate is the best middle school in Illinois, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
The Best Illinois Middle Schools analysis for 2026 put Whitney Young High School in the No. 1 spot for the Land of Lincoln, among more than 3,400 pre-K, elementary and middle schools evaluated statewide.
Whitney Young High School serves students in grades seven through 12, so it was included in the middle school ranking. Several of the top 10 middle schools for Illinois are in overlapping categories for grades of students served.
The latest U.S. News & World Report middle school rankings were released Oct. 28 and compared schools’ performances in reading and math proficiency and performance.
While no metro-east elementary schools were named among the top 10 best middle schools in Illinois, two local public schools were recently named in the top 10% of highest-performing schools in the state from the Illinois Report Card.
The News-Democrat has contacted staff with Whitney Young High School for comment about the recognition from U.S. News & World Report.
Here’s how the top 10 best middle schools in Illinois compared.
Top 10 best middle schools in Illinois
1. Whitney Young High School
Enrollment: 2,221 students in grades seven through 12
Location: Chicago
Whitney Young High School has a 92% proficiency rate for math and an 89% proficiency rate for reading, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. The school had the No. 1 best math proficiency score among Illinois middle institutions, according to U.S. News & World Report.
2. Lane Tech College Prep High School
Enrollment: 4,525 students in grades seven through 12
Location: Chicago
Lane Tech College Prep High School has an 89% proficiency rate for math and an 87% proficiency rate for reading, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. The school ranked second in the state for math proficiency and tied for second in reading proficiency.
3. Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center
Enrollment: 265 students from Kindergarten through eighth grade
Location: Chicago
Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center has an 87% proficiency rate for math and reading, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1. In addition to its third-place ranking for middle schools, the institution was ranked No. 1 in the state by U.S. News & World report for elementary schools, as it serves both student populations.
4. Decatur Classical Elementary School
Enrollment: 329 students from Kindergarten to eighth grade
Location: Chicago
Decatur Classical Elementary School has an 88% math proficiency rate and an 85% reading proficiency rate, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1. The institution was also ranked No. 5 in the state for elementary schools.
5. Skinner North Elementary School
Enrollment: 512 students from Kindergarten through eighth grade
Location: Chicago
Skinner North Elementary School has an 81% reading proficiency rate and a 92% math proficiency rate, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. The school was ranked the No. 2 elementary school in the state, and also performed “well above expectations” for middle school level math and reading performance.
6. Thurgood Marshall School
Enrollment: 483 students in grades fifth through eighth
Location: Rockford
Thurgood Marshall School has an 82% proficiency rate for math and reading, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. The institution ranked seventh in the state for math and reading proficiency, according to U.S. News.
7. Reservoir Gifted Academy
Enrollment: 292 students in grades fifth through eighth
Location: Peoria
Reservoir Gifted Academy has a 73% math proficiency rate and an 87% reading proficiency rate, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 18-to-1. The school performed “well above expectations” for math and reading.
8. Taft High School
Enrollment: 4,416 students in grades seven through 12
Location: Chicago
Taft High School has a 27% math proficiency rate and a 32% reading proficiency rate, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 16-to-1. While the school’s proficiency rates are lower than some of the other schools to make the list, they’re still higher than the state’s average proficiency rates of 26% for math and 29% for reading, according to U.S. News.
9. Hickory Creek Middle School
Enrollment: 951 students in grades sixth through eighth
Location: Frankfort
Hickory Creek Middle School has a 73% math proficiency rate and a 78% reading proficiency rate, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1. The school ranked ninth in the state for reading proficiency and tied for 12th for math proficiency.
10. Sunset Ridge Elementary School
Enrollment: 251 students in grades four through eight
Location: Northfield
Sunset Ridge Elementary School has a 78% math proficiency rate and a 69% reading proficiency rate, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 8-to-1, the lowest ratio of the top 10 middle schools. The school ranked ninth in the state for math proficiency.
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