Naperville-area school districts are among the best in both the state and the country, according to the latest rankings from Niche.
Both Naperville School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 are within the top 15 in Illinois, and among the top 50 districts in the U.S. in the online ranking site’s 2025 listings.
For reference, that’s when comparing 415 districts in the state and 10,561 districts in the country.
District 203 and IPSD 204 get high marks
IPSD 204 came in at No. 10 in the state, and No. 29 in the country, garnering an overall A+ grade from Niche. It also received an A+ for academics, teachers, clubs & activities, college prep, and administration.
District 203 was close behind, landing at No. 11 in the state, and No. 41 in the country. It also racked up an overall A+ grade from Niche, with an A+ grade for academics, teachers, clubs & activities, sports, and college prep.
Neuqua Valley High School lands in top 100 in nation
Local high schools were also noted for their excellence, with IPSD 204’s Neuqua Valley making it into the ranks of the top 100 in the nation, placing at No. 95 out of 20,733 public high schools.
Statewide, it scored at No. 10 among 702 schools.
All the other Naperville-area schools landed within the top 25 of the best public high schools in the state rankings.
IPSD’s Metea Valley High School placed at No. 14 in Illinois, with District 203’s Naperville North High School at No. 20, Naperville Central High School at No. 22, and IPSD 204’s Waubonsie Valley High School at No. 24.
9 local middle schools rank in top 25 in state
Nine middle schools from Districts 203 and 204 were ranked among the top 25 in the state across 1,371 schools.
District 203’s Kennedy Jr. High School landed the top spot on that list, and also was listed among the top 100 middle schools in the nation, ranked at No. 87 among 26,130.
Looking at the full list of both district’s schools making it into the top 25 in the state, the ranks are as follows:
No. 1 – Kennedy Jr. High (District 203)
No. 6 – Scullen Middle School (District 204)
No. 7 – Gordon Gregory Middle School (District 204)
No. 9 – Clifford Crone Middle School (District 204)
No. 18 – Washington Jr. High School (District 203)
No. 19 – Francis Granger Middle School (District 204)
No. 20 – Thayer J. Hill Middle School (District 204)
No. 21 – Madison Jr. High (District 203)
No. 22 – Lincoln Jr. High (District 203)
More than half of top 50 elementary schools in state from D203, IPSD 204
More than half of the top 50 public elementary schools in the state on the list were made up of District 203 and 204 contenders, when comparing 2,218 schools. Those were:
No. 2 – Graham Elementary (District 204)
No. 3 – Ellsworth Elementary (District 203)
No. 6 – Spring Brook Elementary (District 204)
No. 7 – Robert Clow Elementary (District 204)
No. 9 – Oliver Julian Kendall Elementary (District 204)
No. 10 – Meadow Glens Elementary (District 203)
No. 12 – Mill Street Elementary (District 203)
No. 14 – River Woods Elementary (District 203)
No. 16 – Fry Elementary (District 204)
No. 19 – Highlands Elementary (District 203)
No. 20 – Patterson Elementary (District 204)
No. 21 – May Watts Elementary (District 204)
No. 24 – Danielle-Joy Peterson Elementary (District 204)
No. 25 – Ranch View Elementary (District 203)
No. 31 – Steeple Run Elementary (District 203)
No. 32 – Arlene Welch Elementary (District 204)
No. 34 – White Eagle Elementary (District 204)
No. 38 – Reba O. Steck Elementary (District 204)
No. 39 – Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary (District 204)
No. 40 – Wayne Builta Elementary (District 204)
No. 41 – Naper Elementary (District 203)
No. 42 – Prairie Elementary (District 203)
No. 43 – Beebe Elementary (District 203)
No. 46 – Maplebrook Elementary (District 203)
No. 48 – Owen Elementary (District 204)
No. 50 – Kingsley Elementary (District 203)
How the rankings are compiled
To compile the rankings, Niche takes into account information such as state test scores, graduation rates, teacher quality, resources and facilities, racial and economic diversity, and millions of reviews from students and parents. Data is collected from the U.S. Department of Education and directly from schools, and the different factors are assigned different weights.
Niche noted that this year it did not take SAT/ACT scores into account, to better reflect the de-emphasis on those scores in the college admissions process.
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