The 2026 Illinois Report Card offers many reasons to celebrate, with indicators of genuine improvement alongside clear reminders that the state has more work to do. From continued gains in kindergarten readiness all the way to record-high graduation rates, growing postsecondary enrollment, and strong improvements in chronic absenteeism, Illinois is making meaningful progress across the education continuum. At the same time, we are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels in several critical areas, we see persistent disparities between student groups and low to limited progress in other key metrics; these all highlight the need for further attention and sustained focus.
"There are many things to celebrate in this year's Report Card. We are encouraged to see Illinois students making progress in several important areas, particularly with improvement in kindergarten readiness, some academic progress, and record-high graduation rates. Importantly, we see real progress by students who have historically faced greater barriers to success," said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. "But the progress is still not uniform, and improvements in statewide averages mask a number of persistent gaps between student groups. We must continue to invest in our schools to ensure all students have access to the resources they need to succeed."
Progress Worth Celebrating
A stronger start for Illinois' youngest learners
The 2026 Report Card shows continued improvement in kindergarten readiness, with a record 33.1% of incoming kindergartners demonstrating readiness across all three developmental domains of social and emotional development, language and literacy, and math, and a welcome decline in the number of kindergartners not demonstrating readiness in any domain. Gains across key student groups are particularly encouraging, with some of the most pronounced improvements among Black and Latinx students and children from families experiencing homelessness.
That said, the fact that just one third of Illinois kindergartners demonstrate readiness across all three key areas of learning underscores two needs: Illinois must continue to invest in strengthening its system of early childhood education and care, and the newly unified Illinois Department of Early Childhood and the Illinois State Board of Education will need to collaborate effectively to target resources and supports.
Reading and science gains offer encouraging signs of academic progress
Illinois students made gains in English language arts (ELA) and science proficiency in 2026. Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) ELA proficiency increased by 3.2 percentage points to 56.3%, with every measured student group experiencing an increase.1 Importantly, Illinois students continue to surpass pre-pandemic proficiency. ACT reading proficiency also improved, rising by 3.3 percentage points, and with Black student gains outpacing state averages.
Science results were particularly encouraging. Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) proficiency increased by 6.7 percentage points statewide, with every reported student group making gains. Black and Latinx students made science gains that exceeded the statewide increase, narrowing their gaps with the state average.
These improvements are an important sign of progress, reflecting the state’s ongoing work through the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and the ongoing efforts of educators and schools to support student learning. As we celebrate improvements, however, it is important and troubling to note that achievement gaps grew across lines of race, income, language, and learning style.
Record graduation rates, with gains for historically underserved students
Illinois' four-year high school graduation rate continued to grow, reaching a record of 89.8%! Importantly, 9th Grade On-Track, an early indicator of high school graduation, continued to improve as well, reaching 89.6% in 2026. This means we are likely to see continued progress in high school graduation rates as we look ahead. Better still, state progress was driven by student groups that have historically lagged. English Learners, Black students, and students from low-income backgrounds all saw graduation rate increases that outpaced statewide gains, narrowing gaps. English Learners’ graduation rate increased by 1.4 percentage points to 81.7%, Black students' increased by 1.3 percentage points to 84.2%, and students from low-income backgrounds saw a 1.1 percentage point increase to 84.8%.
More educators are entering and staying in the profession
We are glad to see Illinois continue to strengthen its educator pipeline, which is foundational to student learning. The number of full-time teachers increased by 1.25% from 2025 to 2026, reaching a historic high. Teacher retention also improved by 1.3 percentage points in the past year, marking another six-year high.
Importantly, Illinois also employed a record number of school support personnel (SSP) including school nurses, school psychologists, and school social workers, with full-time-equivalent staffing increasing for every group but school counselors by more than 2% since 2025. This is news worth uplifting given the critical role these professionals play in addressing student needs that can impact growth and achievement. While these developments are worth applauding, the data also highlights areas that require renewed attention, particularly the continued decline in teacher attendance (down to 65.2%) and the need to ensure schools have sufficient support personnel to meet students' increasingly complex needs.
Chronic Absenteeism is declining, but remains a significant concern
We are pleased to see that chronic absenteeism – defined as missing 10% or more of school days – continued to decline in 2026. The statewide rate decreased from 25.4% in 2025 to 23.5% in 2026, with every reported student group experiencing improvement and Black students, students with disabilities, and students with IEPs seeing the largest percentage-point decreases.
This progress is encouraging, given how sharply absenteeism increased during the pandemic. However, chronic absenteeism remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, and significant disparities persist. The statewide rate remains 6 percentage points above its 2019 level of 17.5%. Black students continue to experience more than twice the chronic absenteeism rate of White and Asian students, and among racial and ethnic groups, Latinx students have experienced the largest increase in chronic absenteeism since 2019, rising by 10.6 percentage points to 30.1%.
Further, students from low-income households, English Learners, students with IEPs, and students with disabilities also continue to experience elevated rates of absenteeism compared to the state average. These students are missing valuable instructional time, which can compound existing academic challenges and make it harder to stay on track toward graduation. Indeed, chronic absenteeism is a potent indicator of academic persistence and success. Recent research on CPS from the UChicago Consortium on School Research finds that now more than ever, student attendance is highly linked with school climate and culture, pointing to a powerful way in which schools, educators, and communities can and do show up for students.
Areas Demanding Continued Attention
Math requires focused attention across grade levels and student groups
Despite improvements in reading and science, math remains stubbornly low. Proficiency in math remains considerably lower than ELA proficiency on both the IAR (39.6%) and ACT (39.4%), with limited year-over-year gains. Of particular concern, IAR math proficiency declined for English Learners and remained unchanged for students with IEPs at 12.8%. The IAR results also reveal a concerning grade-level pattern: while math proficiency improved across grades six through eight, it declined in every grade from three through five.
We look forward to the state’s implementation of its newly-released Illinois Comprehensive Numeracy Plan, which offers effective interventions and the resources educators need to support students at different stages of learning.
Unfortunately, state level improvement can hide ongoing disparities. Black and Latinx students improved in both IAR subjects, but their proficiency gaps with statewide averages did not close, and in some cases, increased slightly. Their average student growth percentiles remained below the statewide reference point of 50 in both subjects, indicating lower growth relative to academic peers with similar prior achievement. English Learners and students with IEPs also fell further behind statewide proficiency in both subjects. Continued focus is warranted to ensure these student groups receive the support they need to improve and ultimately close equity gaps.
Student enrollment is declining, even as the needs of some student groups grow
Illinois’ K–12 student enrollment continued to decline, with approximately 29,500 fewer students in 2026 than in the previous year. This represents a 1.6% decrease between 2025 and 2026 and the largest of the annual declines that have been recorded over the past five years.
At the same time, some student groups—including students with IEPs and children with disabilities—are growing in both numbers and share of the student population. These trends have important implications for school and district planning, staffing, and resource allocation. Enrollment changes can create difficult decisions for districts as they work to sustain high-quality educational opportunities while responding to shifting student populations. Accordingly, state and local planning must account for both the number of students served and the resources required to meet their needs.
Postsecondary enrollment is recovering, but has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels
There are encouraging signs that more Illinois high school graduates are pursuing education beyond high school. Among Class of 2024 graduates, 68% enrolled within 16 months, up from 66% for the class of 2023. Enrollment at public universities increased by 3 percentage points, while enrollment at two-year colleges increased by 2 percentage points.
Despite these improvements, postsecondary enrollment has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, which stood at 71% for the Class of 2018. Reversing this trend is important for students’ long-term economic opportunities and for Illinois’ future workforce. Students need a strong foundation in K–12, clear pathways to-and-through, and access to affordable institutions and the academic and holistic supports that help them persist and complete a credential or degree.
Looking Ahead...
The 2026 Illinois Report Card provides meaningful reasons to celebrate. But we would be remiss not to acknowledge where the data make clear more work remains. As Illinois navigates a challenging fiscal environment and an evolving federal education landscape, it is essential that legislators sustain investments in the programs, educators, and supports that help every student make progress- regardless of race, income, disability status, language, or region in the state. Above all, adequate and equitable funding, a stable and diverse educator workforce, and trauma-informed support for students are foundational to supporting their success.