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Advance Illinois serves as a resource for media outlets from across the state and beyond on policy issues in education from birth to career. Here’s our recent coverage.
On the first standardized test results reported since Illinois changed the scores needed to be deemed proficient, 52% of students met the bar in English and 38% did so in math.
Illinois’ high school graduation rate has hit a 15-year high, as students continue to show academic growth above pre-pandemic levels, state officials announced Thursday with the release of the 2025 Illinois Report Card.
As Peoria Public Schools receive more state funding, some advocates are saying Illinois isn’t properly funding its public schools.
Illinois has climbed from 47th to 18th in state K-12 funding after adopting an evidence-based formula — showing gains despite COVID disruptions, but equity gaps and support-staff shortages remain.
A new report on Illinois education highlights both progress and persistent challenges. The state has improved in early learning and college readiness, yet proficiency rates in reading, writing, and math have stalled despite billions in added K-12 funding.
A new report about education in Illinois suggests that overall, the state has made significant progress in key areas, from readying toddlers for kindergarten to helping young adults earn college degrees or industry certificates before entering the workforce.
Illinois is no longer one of the worst states in America when it comes to funding K-12 schools, an improvement that may have helped it weather some of the COVID pandemic’s disruption to student learning, according to a new report.
A new report shows Illinois educational attainment continues to rise, and the state's schools weathered pandemic challenges better than other states.
Eight years after putting in place a tool that gauges kindergarten readiness, more children in Illinois are showing up to elementary school ready to go, but gaps between different groups of students remain and are pronounced, according to a new report on public education in the state.
Education in Illinois shows promising areas of growth — including improved kindergarten readiness and increased graduation rates — but remains hampered by stagnant reading and math literacy, as well as rising higher education costs, according to a new report.
Illinois Schools Could Get More Money Under Governor Pritzker’s Budget Plan
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s state budget proposal for 2026 would make another historic investment into public education, but uncertainty about the future of K-12 education funding still looms.


 
  
  
    
    
     
  
  
    
    
     
  
  
    
    
     
  
  
    
    
     
  
  
    
    
     
  
  
    
    
     
  
  
    
    
    