These Are The Best Middle Schools In IL: U.S. News Ranking | Across Illinois – Patch

These Are The Best Middle Schools In IL: U.S. News Ranking | Across Illinois  Patch

The 2027 rankings evaluate math and reading achievement at public middle schools across Illinois. See the top 25. Young Magnet High School in Chicago is the best public middle school in Illinois, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report. Chicago schools claimed the first six spots in the 2027 rankings, released Tuesday. Maple School in Northbrook, Sunset Ridge Elementary School in Northfield and several other suburban schools also made the top 25. U.S. News researchers based the rankings on publicly available data collected directly from state education agencies by RTI International, alongside data from the U.S. Department of Education. The direct state agency data is a new addition to the methodology.

The expanded data provides a more comprehensive assessment of student achievement in reading and math across proficiency levels, while continuing to account for student background and overall performance on state assessments. This year's rankings include more than 24,000 public middle schools nationwide, with schools ranked at the state and district levels. Student-teacher ratios are used to break ties in overall scores. The list includes schools with elementary or high school in their names because they also serve middle school grades. The rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give parents a snapshot of academic performance and help families assess educational options in their communities.