In an effort to get down to the hard work of making Illinois better after a hard-fought election season, we looked at the top school in each of the 25 biggest school districts in the state from the annual Illinois State Board of Education Report Card. The report card includes ratings and summaries of stats about schools across Illinois for the 2013-2014 school year.
Now, we’ve took a look at the 26th- through 50th-biggest school districts in the state (across all grade levels) and then picked out the school within each district that is doing the best, or, in other words, had the highest percentage of students who meet or exceed expectations. The list is ranked by school district enrollment size for the 2013-2014 academic year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Per-pupil spending includes operational and instructional spending. Per-pupil spending ranges from more than $13,000 per student per year to about $30,000 per student per year; the average class size at these top schools range from 15 to 27 students.
The percentage of students at the top schools in the 26th through 50th-biggest school districts in the state that are deemed to meet or exceed expectations by the Illinois Report Card is lower overall than at the top schools in the state’s 25 biggest districts.
26. Decatur SD 61
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Johns Hill Magnet School | 66.7% | 24 | $14,927 |
27. Barrington CUSD 220
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Barbara B. Rose Elementary School | 90.8% | 21 | $24,079 |
28. J S Morton HSD 201
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| J Sterling Morton West High School | 33.6% | 23 | $17,389 |
29. Glenbard Twp HSD 87
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Glenbard South High School | 69.3% | 22 | $24,579 |
30. Elmhurst SD 205
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Lincoln Elementary School | 88.7% | 23 | $21,019 |
31. Belvidere CUSD 100
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Seth Whitman Elementary School | 68.4% | 24 | $15,619 |
32. Cons HSD 230
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Victor J Andrew High School | 66.6% | 18 | $23,811 |
33. Edwardsville CUSD 7
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Albert Cassens Elementary | 78.2% | 26 | $13,752 |
34. Evanston CCSD 65
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Dewey Elementary School | 84.1% | 21 | $22,486 |
35. Crystal Lake CCSD 47
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Woods Creek Elementary School | 86.5% | 23 | $15,005 |
36. Moline USD 40
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Hamilton Elementary School | 72.7% | 18 | $15,478 |
37. Round Lake CUSD 116
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Village Elementary School | 48% | 27 | $16,445 |
38. Lincoln Way CHSD 210
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Lincoln-Way East High School | 73.1% | 22 | $18,514 |
39. Wheeling CCSD 21
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Henry W Longfellow Elementary School | 83.7% | 22 | $24,942 |
40. Harlem UD 122
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Olson Park Elementary School | 61.7% | 22 | $18,864 |
41. Quincy SD 172
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Monroe Elementary School | 60.5% | 23 | $14,773 |
42. Comm Cons SD 59
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Ridge Family Center for Learning | 78.8% | 16 | $22,481 |
43. Rock Island SD 41
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Washington Junior High School | 43.6% | 23 | $15,811 |
44. CHSD 155
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Cary-Grove Community High School | 74.6% | 18 | $22,340 |
45. Alton CUSD 11
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Alton High School | 51.6% | 15 | $17,811 |
46. Collinsville CUSD 10
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Maryville Elementary School | 68.4% | 22 | $14,601 |
47. Granite City CUSD 9
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Worthen Elementary School | 60.9% | 23 | $16,532 |
48. Woodstock CUSD 200
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Greenwood Elementary School | 61.4% | 26 | $17,876 |
49. Maine Township HSD 207
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| Maine South High School | 78.6% | 21 | $30,291 |
50. East St Louis SD 189
| School | Meets/exceeds expectations | Average class size | Per pupil spending |
| James Avant Elementary School | 21.7% | 23 | $21,955 |
NEXT ARTICLE: Top schools in Illinois’ 25 biggest school districts
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