The 20 Best Middle Schools In Illinois, According To A New Report

Nearly every parent, Illinois resident or not, wants their kid(s) to be able to attend the best possible school for them. Granted, it doesn't always work out that way, but the hope is always there.

Here's the thing. You've probably heard the expression "Hope is not a strategy," so in order to help make sure your kid(s) get the opportunity to attend the best institutions, you may have to consider moving to someplace that the schools match up with what you and your child or children have in mind.

To make that a bit easier, let's take a look at the 20 middle schools that US News & World Report says are the very best that Illinois has to offer, according to their latest rankings.

How Does An Organization Decide Which Schools Land On The Top Schools List?

In the case of this year's US News & World Report piece on the Best Middle Schools In The US, here's what they looked at:

The rankings use the same methodology for all included grade levels. For each state, schools were assessed on their shares of students who were proficient or above proficient in their mathematics and reading/language arts state assessments. Half of the formula assessed the scores themselves and the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are all high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students.

In total, 46,998 elementary schools and 23,328 middle schools were ranked. When combined with the 17,908 public high schools US News ranked in 2025, US News has assigned 88,234 state ranks across its elementary, middle and high schools rankings.

Let's Get To The Middle School Numbers And Rankings Here In Illinois

1. Young Magnet High School, Chicago
2. Lane Technical High School, Chicago
3. Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center, Chicago
4. Decatur Classical Elementary School, Chicago
5. Skinner North Elementary School, Chicago
6. Thurgood Marshall School, Rockford
7. Reservoir Gifted School, Peoria
8. Taft High School, Chicago
9. Hickory Creek Middle School, Frankfort
10. Sunset Ridge Elementary School, Northfield
11. Daniel Wright Junior High School, Lincolnshire
12. Kennedy Junior High School, Lisle
13. Northbrook Junior High School, Northbrook
14. Lincoln Elementary School, Chicago
15. Hawthorne Elementary Scholastic Academy, Chicago
16. Central School, Glencoe
17. Marie Murphy School, Wilmette
18. Teutopolis Junior High School, Teutopolis
19. Maple School, Northbrook
20. Clarendon Hills Middle School, Clarendon Hills

Click here to read the entire piece at USNews.com.