The annual report provides families and communities with a comprehensive look at school performance and student outcomes, including academic proficiency, student growth, graduation rates and other indicators that help guide continuous improvement.

This year, seven RPS 205 schools earned an Exemplary designation, up from three previously. More schools than ever before also earned a Commendable designation, reflecting progress across the district.

“I'm encouraged by the progress reflected in this year's Report Card, especially the growth in the number of schools earning Exemplary and Commendable designations and the continued improvement in our graduation rate,” said Superintendent Dr. Larry Huff. “These results reflect the work of our students, teachers, principals, support staff and families. We know there is still work to do, but we are moving in the right direction. Our focus remains on making sure every student has access to strong instruction, meaningful opportunities and the support they need to succeed, no matter which school or ZIP code they call home.”

More schools earn top designations

Barbour, Cherry Valley, Hillman and Montessori joined Haskell Elementary, Marshall Elementary, and Marshall Middle school in earning an Exemplary designation, bringing the district's total to seven schools.

Carlson and Spring Creek were the only RPS 205 schools designated as Approaching Exemplary, which is a new designation.

Ten schools rose to Commendable: Bloom, Ellis, Froberg, Gregory, Johnson, Riverdahl, Rolling Green, Washington, Welsh and Whitehead. East, Brookview, Conklin, West View and Legacy also maintained their Commendable designations.

Notable achievements include Cherry Valley and Hillman earning Exemplary designations for the first time, while Ellis and Welsh earned Commendable designations for the first time. These schools continue to work through their four-year school improvement cycles.

East High School maintained its Commendable designation for the second consecutive year and has an opportunity to exit its school improvement cycle in 2027.

Graduation rate reaches 81 percent

RPS 205's four-year graduation rate increased to 81 percent, continuing a five-year upward trend:

• 2022: 66 percent

• 2023: 69 percent

• 2024: 74 percent

• 2025: 77 percent

• 2026: 81 percent

The five-year increase of 15 percentage points reflects continued progress in helping students stay on track and complete high school.

Academic proficiency and student growth

The Report Card showed modest gains in Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) proficiency. English language arts proficiency increased from 33 percent to 35 percent, while math proficiency rose from 20 percent to 21 percent. 

Student growth results also highlighted areas of strength across RPS 205 elementary schools.

In English language arts, five schools earned an Exemplary growth rating: Haskell, Hillman, Marshall Elementary, Spring Creek and Welsh. Ten school buildings demonstrated growth in the Approaching Exemplary range.

In math, four schools earned an Exemplary growth rating: Cherry Valley, Haskell, Hillman and Marshall Elementary. Twelve school buildings demonstrated growth in the Approaching Exemplary range.

These results reflect the importance of measuring not only what students know, but also how much progress they make over time.

At the high school level, all four RPS 205 high schools earned Commendable growth ratings in both English language arts and math on the ACT. Eleventh-grade ACT English language arts proficiency decreased from 27 percent to 25 percent, while math proficiency remained steady at 15 percent. These results highlight the continued need to strengthen academic achievement while building on student growth.

Expanding opportunities through advanced coursework

RPS 205 students are also taking advantage of opportunities to earn college credit while in high school. During the 2025-26 school year, 16 percent of high school students in grades 9-12 enrolled in dual credit courses, an increase of three percentage points and more than 200 students compared with the previous year.

Additionally, 52 percent of graduating seniors had taken at least one Advanced Placement (AP) or dual credit course during high school.

These opportunities help students explore future careers, prepare for college and make progress toward postsecondary goals before graduation.

Continuing the work

“We’re excited about our future for career certifications with the addition of The Quad. We look forward to continued growth in our efforts there.”

While the 2026 Illinois Report Card highlights meaningful progress, RPS 205 recognizes that academic proficiency remains an area of focus. The district will continue using school-level and student-group data to identify strengths, address gaps and guide improvement efforts.

“Every data point represents a student, and every student deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Dr. Huff said. “We will celebrate the progress our schools are making while staying focused on the work ahead. By working together and keeping students first, we can continue building stronger outcomes for our entire community.”

Families and community members can explore school and district results through the Illinois Report Card website.