The annual report that shows how schools across the state are performing with academic proficiency, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, and other metrics was released today.

The 2025 Illinois school report card shows progress in the statewide graduation rate and chronic absenteeism. It also shows that year-to-year student growth in English language arts and math is trending upward since the pandemic.

The state’s high school graduation rate reached a 15-year high of 89%, meaning almost nine out of every 10 Illinois high school students are graduating within four years.

Chronic absenteeism declined statewide for the third consecutive year, now at 25.4%. So, about a quarter of Illinois students are still missing 10 or more days out of the school year, regardless of having an excuse.

Results also showed the tide might be starting to turn on the teacher shortage, with the number of teaching positions filled across the state reaching a high point.

In a news conference ahead of the official data release, State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders lauded the “clear and encouraging progress” shown in this year’s report card.

Sanders noted this is the final year the state will use its current accountability system, whereby school districts are ranked using the five designations of exemplary, commendable, targeted, comprehensive or intensive.

More information is to come next year on the future accountability system, Sanders said.

Problems with the current system include limiting “exemplary” status to the top 10% of schools, rather than basing it on specific criteria, and the “commendable” status being too broad a category to offer meaningful direction.

“We’re trying to develop a system that gives more actionable data for schools to drive school improvement,” Sanders said.

Graduation rate

Illinois students achieved the highest graduation rate on record at 89%, surpassing last year’s rate of 87.7%.

“Year after year, more Illinois students are crossing the finish line,” Sanders said.

The statewide rate ranged from roughly 82 to 84% from 2011 to 2013.

It ranged from 85.5% to just under 88% from 2014 to 2024 (excluding 2020, when it was artificially high at 88% during the pandemic).

In 2018, the state adopted a new funding formula and accountability system.

“Since [2018], Illinois has invested more than $3 billion through evidence-based funding, with most of that going to support schools with the greatest needs,” he said.

The funding has been used to expand interventions like summer school, mentoring programs, and credit recovery courses.

The state established a goal to reach an 88.9% graduation rate by 2029, but was able to reach that milestone four years early.

The increase was driven by gains among Black and Hispanic students and students with Individualized Education Programs. IEPs establish directions for the delivery of special education supports and services for students with a disability.

The graduation rate increased by 2.7% for Black students, 1.5% for Hispanic or Latino students, and 3.5% for multiracial students from 2024 to 2025.

For the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, the increase totaled 6.4% for Black students, 3.3% for Hispanic or Latino students, and 6.3% for multiracial students.

“These student groups have posted some of the largest increases in graduation rates over the last several years, helping to close gaps that have been persistent for far too long,” Sanders said.

Still, a gap remains – 95% of Asian students and 92.4% of white students graduate high school within four years, compared to 88.4% of multiracial students, 86.4% of Hispanic or Latino students and 82.9% of Black students.

The graduation rate also increased by 2.3% for low-income students (up to 83.7%), 3.2% for English learners (up to 80.3%), and 4.3% for students with IEPs (up to 75.6%) from 2024 to 2025.

“The largest gains came from students with IEPs, though they continue to have the lowest graduation rate of any student group,” Sanders said.

Ninth graders on track

Illinois also saw an increase in the percentage of ninth graders on track to graduate, reaching 89.3% this year. That’s up from 88.2% in 2024 and 82.2% in 2021.

Students who finish ninth grade on track are nearly four times more likely to graduate from high school, Sanders said.

On track means earning at least five full-year course credits and no more than one F in a core course.

Increases were seen across all student groups from 2024 to 2025, with the largest gains among Black students (up 2.3%), followed by Hispanic students (up 1.8%).

White and Asian students remain most likely to be on track.

Across other student groups, English learners showed the largest increase (up 3.5%), alongside low-income students (up 1.3%) and students with IEPs (up 1.2%).

Chronic absenteeism

Statewide chronic absenteeism was 17.5% in 2019, peaked at 29.8% in 2022, and has been declining since, with rates at 28.3% in 2023, 26.3% in 2024, and now 25.4% in 2025.

While chronic absenteeism is showing progress across every grade level, the rate remains the worst for high school students at 34.4%.

Despite some improvements, chronic absenteeism is still above pre-pandemic levels, mirroring the trend nationwide.

A new chronic absence task force is being established within the Illinois State Board of Education, consisting of educators, school leaders, social workers and advocacy organizations.

The task force will identify strategies, evidence-based practices and policies to help reduce chronic absences, with recommendations to be available by the end of 2027.

“This initiative reflects Illinois’ commitment to sustained improvement in equity, ensuring that every student has the opportunity they need to attend school regularly and succeed academically,” Sanders said.

Illinois updated the way it defined proficiency in August 2025, so direct comparisons to prior years won’t give the full picture, but student growth percentiles are still trackable.

The proficiency cut scores were lowered in ELA and math and raised in science.

For grade 3, math proficiency (46.8%) was slightly above ELA proficiency (49.2%), meaning just under half of the state’s third graders are considered proficient in either subject.

For grades 4 through 11, ELA proficiency outpaced math, with ELA proficiency ranging from 50.7% on the low end in grade 4 to 61.9% on the high end in grade 9.

Math proficiency ranged from 32.4% on the low end in grade 6, to 42.3% on the high end in grade 4.

Sanders said the state is currently developing a numeracy plan to develop targeted math supports for schools, modeled after its comprehensive literacy plan.

The numeracy plan, expected to be finalized in June 2026, will address gaps in math proficiency across student groups by providing evidence-based strategies and guidance for districts, he said.

In science, students in grades 5 and 8 take the Illinois Science Assessment, while students in grades 9 and 10 take the pre-ACT, and grade 11 students take the ACT.

Across the state, science proficiency in 2025 was 40.2% for grade 5, 45.1% for grade 8, 50.3% for grade 9, 49.6% for grade 10, and 48.2% for grade 11.

The statewide average growth percentile, which is compared to the baseline year 2019, was 58 in ELA, which was down from 61 last year but still trending upward from 39 in 2021.

“The big picture remains clear that students are learning and growing at a faster pace than they were prior to the pandemic, and that those gains are spreading across students, schools, and classrooms statewide,” Sanders said.

Math growth also remains above pre-pandemic levels, but to a lesser extent than ELA, with the statewide mean student growth percentile at 52 compared to the baseline 2019.

Teacher workforce

Illinois had more teachers than ever in 2025, with 137,899 teaching positions filled. That’s an increase of 687 teachers since 2024 and over 5,500 more since 2021.

The largest growth was seen among multiracial teachers (up 83% from 2024), but the number of Black teachers declined by almost 1%. The number of Hispanic or Latino teachers increased by just over half a percent.

Sanders said the state’s teacher vacancy grant pilot program is starting to pay off.

The state invested $120 million over three years to districts with the greatest teacher shortages, providing 170 districts with funding to recruit, license, and retain new educators.

For the first time since the 2022-23 school year, the number of unfilled teaching positions decreased while the number of filled positions continued to increase, he said.