Illinois Schools Are Stabilizing Post Pandemic, But Not Without Challenges Requiring Urgent Attention, Increased Investment, Says Education Policy Group

In a new report on the health of Illinois’ education system, the state-focused nonprofit Advance Illinois finds overall educational attainment up but stagnant academic proficiency, persistent equity gaps, and a worrisome trend regarding student mental health. 

CHICAGO, Oct. 1, 2025—Despite the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools and child care settings across the country, Illinois is holding ground in many areas and better than most other states, a new report finds. But challenges in key areas highlight the need for urgent attention and increased state investment, says the report author, education policy and advocacy group Advance Illinois. 

The State We’re In 2025: A Report on Public Education in Illinois, is the latest edition in the organization’s biennial research series that measures Illinois’ education performance and progress across the full birth-to-postsecondary continuum. The report tracks key indicators that measure everything from funding, enrollment and staffing, to affordability, growth and student performance over the past 15 years. Taken together, the comprehensive report surfaces changes and trends, and pays close attention to how students have recovered from the pandemic and how that recovery compares nationally. 

“There is good news, and there is troubling news. On the plus side, educational attainment continues to rise, and data suggests Illinois schools weathered pandemic challenges better than other states.” said Advance Illinois President, Robin Steans. 

“That said, our findings reveal there is still work to do. Academic proficiency remains stubbornly low, equity gaps persist, and affordability remains a serious issue for Illinois families and students.” 

At a recent City Club of Chicago event, experts presented key findings from the report before a panel discussion by leaders from across sectors including Sen. Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford, Illinois General Assembly, 4th District, Linda Xóchitl Tortolero, JD, President and CEO, Latino Policy Forum, and Steven Isoye, Ed.D, Chairperson of the Illinois State Board of Education. The panel discussed the implications of the report’s findings. Julie Morita, M.D., the new president and CEO of The Joyce Foundation, moderated the conversation. 

Among the takeaways, the new report finds: 

AREAS OF PROGRESS 

Early Childhood and Care 

• Participation in the state’s kindergarten readiness assessment has grown by 10 percentage points since its launch in 2018 and the percentage of children demonstrating readiness across all three developmental domains increased as well—from 23.6% to 31.6%

K-12 Education 

• As a result of the Evidence Based Funding (EBF)Formula, passed in 2017, significantly more Illinois students are attending better-funded schools, with roughly $2.4 billion in new, annual state investments reducing the number of districts with less than 70% of what they need to support students from 431 districts to 49 districts. 

• New funding has supported more new teachers and counselors, especially for low-income schools and students. 

• Illinois continues to rank in the top 10 for academic growth from 3rd-8th grade. 

• When it comes to demonstrated proficiency in reading and math, data show outcomes for 4th and 8th graders held steady through the pandemic. That said, proficiency rates have been stagnant and low since 2009. 

• Since 2011, longstanding equity gaps to proficiency on NAEP— “the Nation’s Report Card” —have been closing, with the gap to proficiency by English Learners improving the most (3.8 percentage points) of those groups below the statewide average. 

• There continues to be strong outcomes on key indicators such as 9th Grade On Track, enrollment in early college coursework, and high school graduation rates. Better still, some gaps are narrowing. 

Postsecondary Education 

• College graduation rates have gradually risen since 2008 (from 63% to 68% for bachelor’s degrees) and nearly doubled for students pursuing associate’s degrees – from 17% to 31% in 2017. 

• The state has made meaningful and consistent progress in overall attainment, with 49% percent of Illinoisans holding a postsecondary degree (associate’s or more) in 2023 compared with 41% in 2008. There was notable growth in Black and Latinx degree attainment over that period. 

AREAS OF CHALLENGE 

• Affordability continues to be a barrier for Illinois students and families where high costs for child care and postsecondary tuition and fees ask median-income families to pay a substantial portion of their income. Importantly, this percentage of income is higher for Black and Latinx households. 

• More children are demonstrating proficiency in at least one key developmental domain, but gaps to kindergarten readiness widened from 2018 to 2023 for English Learners, by family income, and by disability status. 

• While implementation of EBF has resulted in better funding adequacy for most school districts and students, there are still concerning per-pupil adequacy gaps for many student groups –with the largest gaps for Black and Latinx students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students in urban districts. 

• Pronounced teacher workforce needs persist, with special education and bilingual education roles across the state particularly difficult to fill, and rural and urban districts sharing struggles with high vacancy rates and novice teacher rates. 

• The percentage of students immediately enrolling in higher education fell during the pandemic and has not rebounded. 

• Although equity gaps in key outcomes for k-12 and higher education are closing, disparities by race, household income, language, and disability status persist. 

Mental Health and Wellness: An Unprecedented Challenge 

The backdrop to these findings is a mental health crisis only exacerbated by the pandemic and to which Illinois students have not been immune, the report finds. And while the state’s school districts work hard to hire school support staff – including social workers, nurses, and school psychologists – their levels fall below what is recommended: Right now, only 13% of students statewide attend school districts with enough counselors per recommended levels, the report finds. 

Steans said that the takeaways in this year’s report defy a simple narrative but instead lend themselves to identifying key areas for increased effort. “These findings urgently need to be brought into view, to drive decision making, inform investments, and shore up systems and practices for our students now more than ever in our history.” 

Sweeping changes to federal level data infrastructure and collection efforts at the Department of Education pose a threat to the group’s ongoing work to report on the health of the state’s education system. According to the organization, nearly half of the metrics used in The State We’re In 2025 come directly from federal sources or rely on federal sources for analysis and calculation. 

“While our report is not a policy document, good policy and practice is informed by good data that helps educators, leaders, and lawmakers understand challenges and create thoughtful strategies,” Steans said. “It is my hope that the findings in this report are taken together as a guide to realizing a stronger and healthier future for our education system and the children and families it serves, shaped by good information and good policy.” 

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About Advance Illinois Advance Illinois is an independent, bipartisan policy and advocacy organization working toward a healthy public education system that enables all students to achieve success in college, career, and civic life. 

For interviews, email Bravetta Hassell, Communications Director, bhassell@advanceillinois.org 

Bipartisan Education Policy and Advocacy Organization, Advance Illinois, Releases New Report Looking at the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Education in Illinois

The State We’re In 2022: A Look at the Impact of COVID-19 on Education in Illinois, focuses on the impact of the global pandemic within early childhood, K-12, and higher education during the 2020-2021 school year. 

Contact: 
Taryn Williams 
Eucarol  Juarez 
communications@advanceillinois.org 

CHICAGO, IL (August 4, 2022) – Today, Advance Illinois released its report, The State We’re In 2022: A Look at the Impact of COVID-19 on Education in Illinois. This edition of The State We’re In focuses on the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Illinois school communities during the 2020-2021 school year. The report looks at notable changes in student enrollment, access to instruction and student supports, academic progress, and social-emotional well-being by examining data from early childhood through higher education according to region, ethnicity, language, household income, and learning style.  

“Any way you slice it, COVID-19 has had a profound effect on education and care across Illinois and throughout the country,” said Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois. “Despite heroic and creative efforts from teachers, families, and leaders at every level, the reality is that the pandemic has amplified existing inequities across lines of race, income, geography, and educational need.” 

While the report is sobering, Steans suggests that the news should not be demoralizing, but serve as a call to arms for ongoing investment and focus. “This report sheds light on the work needed in the coming years to overcome the significant educational disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also spotlights places where concerted effort mitigated serious challenges.”  

The edition is unlike previous editions of The State We’re In. Typically, a biennial publication, this report will not contain national comparisons, but will focus on Illinois-specific information, given changes to data quality and availability, as well as COVID-19's massive disruptions to the context in which meaningful data exists.  

The report examines four key areas including enrollment, K-12 equitable access to instruction, student well-being, and K-12 academic outcomes. Among the findings in the report:  

• Enrollment: Nearly every level of education in Illinois saw declines in enrollment that exceeded historical trends and cannot be explained by demographic shifts. This was especially pronounced for early learners (ages birth through 5) and students enrolled in community colleges. 

• Equitable Access to Instruction: Inequitable access to digital infrastructure posed a barrier for K-12 students in remote learning environments, contributing to growing race-based disparities in attendance and inequities in access to high quality classroom instruction. 

• Support and Resources for Students’ Well-Being: Disruptions to schooling left significant gaps in K-12 students’ social-emotional development, putting pressure on already inadequate staffing of counselors, social workers, and psychologists.  

• K-12 Academic Outcomes: Although there are critical gaps in the data, available information suggests that K-12 proficiency on standardized assessments and 9th grade On-Track rates declined substantially. 

The report also highlights just a few of the valiant efforts of state and local leaders, who worked creatively to address critical issues - expanding access to laptops, finding creative ways to expand internet and broadband access, taking bold steps to stabilize the state’s system of early childhood education and care, and finding measures to support student well-being.   

Steans adds, “we salute the many heroes around the state who have navigated this once-in-a-century event, and look forward to working with them, not just to respond to ongoing needs, but to use this moment to learn and grow as we support the next generation to reach its full potential.” 

Readers can access the full 2022 edition of The State We’re In report here or by visiting advanceillinois.org.  

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About Advance Illinois 
Advance Illinois is an independent policy and advocacy organization working toward a healthy public education system that enables all students to achieve success in college, career, and civic life. Since its founding in 2008, Advance Illinois has become a nationally recognized thought leader in education policy and advocacy. To learn more, visit advanceillinois.org.