Best Schools for Low-income Students in Illinois (2026)

These are the Illinois public schools where low-income students scored highest on the state reading and math tests, ranked by the average of the two proficiency rates. Only schools with at least 20 tested low-income students are included. The list reflects how students in this group perform at each school; it is not a ranking of schools by their demographic makeup.

Other lists: Asian · Black · Hispanic · Multiracial · White

Elementary schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Brook Forest Elem School Oak Brook	82%	82%	145	A+
2	Oak Elem School Hinsdale	82%	77%	120	A+
3	Prospect Elem School Clarendon Hills	72%	82%	177	A+
4	The Lane Elem School Hinsdale	82%	72%	159	A+
5	Thurgood Marshall Elementary Rockford	72%	82%	189	A+
6	Elm Elem School Burr Ridge	72%	77%	165	A+
7	Madison Elem School Hinsdale	77%	72%	227	A+
8	Walker School Clarendon Hills	77%	72%	135	A+
9	Meadow Glens Elementary School Naperville	77%	72%	260	A+
10	Greeley Elem School Winnetka	72%	77%	98	A+
11	Monroe Elem School Hinsdale	77%	67%	159	A+
12	Meadowbrook Elem School Northbrook	67%	77%	220	A+
13	Shabonee School Northbrook	69%	72%	409	A+
14	West School Glencoe	62%	77%	269	A+
15	Highlands Elem School Naperville	67%	72%	230	B
16	Westmoor Elem School Northbrook	62%	77%	180	A+
17	Middlefork Primary School Northfield	65%	75%	43	A+
18	Half Day School Lincolnshire	63%	72%	514	A
19	Barbara B Rose Elem School South Barrington	67%	67%	206	A+
20	Gower West Elem School Willowbrook	67%	67%	182	A+
21	Wescott Elementary School Northbrook	62%	72%	236	A+
22	Willowbrook Elem School Glenview	62%	72%	131	A+
23	Greenbriar Elem School Northbrook	67%	67%	200	A+
24	Longfellow Elem School Wheaton	67%	67%	131	A+
25	Hubbard Woods Elem School Winnetka	67%	67%	111	A+

Middle schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Skinner North Elem Sch Chicago	87%	87%	270	B+
2	Keller Elem Gifted Magnet School Chicago	87%	82%	147	B+
3	Edison Elem Regional Gifted Cntr Chicago	82%	87%	132	A+
4	Thurgood Marshall School Rockford	82%	82%	454	A
5	Decatur Classical Elem School Chicago	82%	77%	156	A+
6	Reservoir Gifted School Peoria	82%	77%	268	A+
7	Hickory Creek Middle School Frankfort	84%	70%	853	A+
8	The Joseph Sears School Kenilworth	77%	77%	255	A
9	Daniel Wright Jr High School Lincolnshire	73%	77%	638	A+
10	Bannockburn School Bannockburn	72%	67%	101	A+
11	Hawthorne Elem Scholastic Academy Chicago	68%	71%	340	A+
12	Lisbon Grade School Newark	77%	62%	67	A+
13	Carleton W Washburne School Winnetka	64%	75%	343	A+
14	Wood Oaks Jr High School Northbrook	70%	68%	427	A+
15	Dunlap Middle School Dunlap	73%	62%	465	A+
16	Maple School Northbrook	63%	72%	369	A+
17	Kennedy Junior High School Lisle	73%	62%	738	A+
18	Aviston Elem School Aviston	67%	67%	237	A+
19	Willowbrook Middle School South Beloit	77%	57%	297	A+
20	Iles Elem School Springfield	67%	67%	180	A+
21	Sunset Ridge Elem School Northfield	62%	72%	246	A+
22	Hinsdale Middle School Hinsdale	67%	65%	618	B
23	Charles J Caruso Middle School Deerfield	68%	62%	441	A+
24	Marie Murphy School Wilmette	67%	62%	251	A+
25	Butler Junior High School Oak Brook	67%	62%	171	A+

High schools

#	School	Reading	Math	Tested	Overall Repit grade
1	Payton College Preparatory HS Chicago	92%	98%	290	A+
2	Northside College Preparatory Hs Chicago	98%	92%	266	A+
3	Jones College Prep High School Chicago	92%	90%	495	A+
4	Young Magnet High School Chicago	91%	91%	711	A+
5	Lane Technical High School Chicago	84%	82%	1154	A+
6	New Trier Township H S Winnetka Winnetka	80%	76%	988	A+
7	Adlai E Stevenson High School Lincolnshire	73%	72%	1063	A+
8	Hinsdale Central High School Hinsdale	72%	71%	653	A+
9	Deerfield High School Deerfield	69%	67%	402	A+
10	University High School Normal	72%	62%	147	A+
11	Lake Forest High School Lake Forest	68%	66%	361	A+
12	Glenbrook North High School Northbrook	67%	66%	507	A+
13	Neuqua Valley High School Naperville	68%	63%	846	A+
14	Vernon Hills High School Vernon Hills	64%	63%	411	A+
15	Glenbrook South High School Glenview	63%	60%	745	A+
16	Naperville North High School Naperville	62%	61%	711	A+
17	Libertyville High School Libertyville	63%	59%	462	A+
18	Wm Fremd High School Palatine	61%	59%	718	A+
19	Barrington High School Barrington	59%	61%	714	A+
20	John Hersey High School Arlington Heights	63%	56%	503	A+
21	Naperville Central High School Naperville	61%	58%	661	A+
22	Prospect High School Mt Prospect	60%	58%	568	A+
23	Dunlap High School Dunlap	52%	62%	295	A+
24	Oak Park & River Forest High Sch Oak Park	62%	52%	793	A+
25	Lake Zurich High School Lake Zurich	58%	54%	435	A+

Source: U.S. Department of Education EDFacts (state assessment results by student group) via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Small schools report results as ranges; we use the midpoint. Methodology

Best Schools for Low-income Students in Illinois (2026)

Elementary schools

Middle schools

High schools

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