The 2026 Illinois Report Card is out, and both Naperville School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 received high praise from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Naperville School District 203
All 21 K-12 schools in District 203 earned exemplary status on this year’s report card, the highest a school can achieve of six possible standards.
Using Illinois’ “Profiles of Performance” accountability system — a new framework implemented this fall to comply with federal Every Student Succeeds Act requirements — the report card now measures school performance through academic proficiency, student growth and engagement, and graduation rates.
“This is an achievement we are incredibly proud of, but what makes it most meaningful is the people behind it,” said Naperville 203 Superintendent Dan Bridges, commending the work of students, educators and staff in a press release. “To see all 21 schools receive this recognition is a tremendous honor, and one our entire community can share.”
In the Illinois Assessment of Readiness exam, District 203 students were well above state averages for proficiency in math, English language arts and science.
While ELA state proficiency was measured at 56.3%, District 203 students had 82.4% proficiency. In math, overall 203 student proficiency was at 71.3%, higher than the Illinois average of 39.6%. The district also showed higher proficiency in science, with 77.4% over the state’s 49.7%.
Bridges shared his appreciation with students, staff and the community on behalf of the district. He noted that the report only demonstrates part of the educational experience.
“Our students are more than any single assessment or designation,” Bridges added. “We value their curiosity, creativity, relationships, well-being, and the ways they grow as people. This recognition is worth celebrating because of what it represents, but our focus will always remain on helping each student reach their full potential.”
Indian Prairie School District 204
Indian Prairie School District 204 also received high marks on the annual report card, with 23 of its 31 K-12 schools given exemplary status. Four schools received approaching exemplary, three were recognized as commendable, and one school received developing.
“Indian Prairie continues to show that we are a leading school district in the state of Illinois,” said IPSD Superintendent Dr. John Price in a press release. “These results reflect the relentless dedication of our teachers, administrators, and staff, as well as the hard work of our students and strong partnership of our community.”
The district said that compared to last year’s report, students showed improvement across the board in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness proficiency.
Overall ELA IAR proficiency increased to 74.3%, up from 71.5% in 2025. Overall proficiency in science improved to 71.4% from 65.6% last year. Math proficiency stood at 62.6% compared to 62.4% in 2025, which the district said establishes “a clear baseline for target support and instruction moving forward.”
All proficiency percentages were well above the state averages as well.
In the release, IPSD 204 listed its goals for the 2026-27 school year:
- Expand Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for ELA and math enhancements and remediation.
- Use interactive data dashboards to measure real-time student insights for teachers
- Finish the final year of the current Strategic Plan and prepare community engagement for the next framework over future years.
“As we celebrate these successes, we remain committed to continuous improvement for every child in every school,” Price said. “Our focus remains on delivering equitable, high-quality instruction that prepares every student to reach their greatest potential.”
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