Education (K-12) · 2024–25 school year
Illinois Public Schools
Public K-12 education statistics for Illinois — 1,842,881 students in 4,438 schools in 2024–25, with enrollment history back to 1986 and county-level detail from 2002.
| Statistic | Value | School year |
|---|---|---|
| Student enrollment | 1,842,881 | 2024–25 |
| Public schools | 4,438 | 2024–25 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 137,789 | 2024–25 |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 13.4 | 2024–25 |
| Free/reduced-price lunch students | 54.6% | 2024–25 |
| School poverty rate (MEPS) | 14.7% | 2022–23 |
| Charter school enrollment | 3.2% | 2024–25 |
| High school graduation rate | 89.0% | 2024–25 |
| Math proficiency (of tested) | 25.9% | 2020–21 |
| Reading proficiency (of tested) | 29.9% | 2021–22 |
| Chronically absent students | 29.0% | 2021–22 |
| White students | 44.6% | 2024–25 |
| Black students | 16.2% | 2024–25 |
| Hispanic students | 28.6% | 2024–25 |
| Asian students | 5.7% | 2024–25 |
Not every statistic is collected every year — each row shows its most recent available school year (amber when older than 2024–25). Blank/absent means not collected or below reliability floors, never zero. Some universal-meals states no longer report free/reduced-price lunch — school poverty (MEPS) is the better lens there. A 0% charter share in a state without a charter-school law is a true zero.
Illinois state report card
Outcomes reported directly by Illinois’s education agency — often more current than the federal series above. Because each state uses its own tests, definitions, and reporting windows, these figures are not comparable state-to-state; each row notes how Illinois measures it.
| Measure | Latest | Trend | School year |
|---|---|---|---|
5-year graduation rate How Illinois measures this5-year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, All Students, statewide, as published on the 2025 Report Card (cohort scheduled to graduate in 2024, measured through summer 2025); statewide row of the public data set | 89.9% | 2024–25 | |
College enrollment rate How Illinois measures thisPercent of high-school graduates enrolled in any postsecondary institution within 12 months of graduation, statewide, as published on the 2025 Illinois Report Card; underlying graduating class is the most recent class with 12 months elapsed (Class of 2024, inferred) | 64.9% | 2024–25 | |
Dropout rate How Illinois measures thisAnnual high-school dropout rate, grades 9-12, statewide (revised methodology beginning with the 2019 Report Card); Report Card Public Data Set 2024-25, statewide row | 2.4% | 2024–25 | |
Math proficiency (state test) How Illinois measures thisPercent of tested students proficient across ALL state Math assessments combined, all tested grades, statewide (Illinois Report Card 'Overall Student Proficiency Rate: All State Tests - Math'): IAR grades 3-8 + ACT suite grades 9-11 (PreACT Secure gr 9-10, ACT gr 11; first year), plus DLM-AA alternate assessment; ISBE adopted new performance levels in spring 2025 - NOT comparable to earlier years; Report Card Public Data Set 2024-25, statewide row | 38.4% | 2024–25 | |
Reading / ELA proficiency (state test) How Illinois measures thisPercent of tested students proficient across ALL state Reading/ELA assessments combined, all tested grades, statewide (Illinois Report Card 'Overall Student Proficiency Rate: All State Tests - Reading/ELA'): IAR grades 3-8 + ACT suite grades 9-11 (PreACT Secure gr 9-10, ACT gr 11; first year), plus DLM-AA alternate assessment; ISBE adopted new performance levels in spring 2025 - NOT comparable to earlier years; Report Card Public Data Set 2024-25, statewide row | 52.4% | 2024–25 | |
Chronic absenteeism (recent) How Illinois measures thisPercent of students absent 10% or more of enrolled school days, with or without valid excuse (ISBE chronic absenteeism definition), all grades, statewide; Report Card Public Data Set 2024-25, statewide row ('Chronic Absenteeism') | 25.4% | 2024–25 |
Source: IllinoisDepartment of Education (public reporting), 2026 collection. Not comparable across states — proficiency reflects different assessments and cut scores; graduation, dropout, and college-going use each state’s own cohort definitions and windows. Absent rows mean the state doesn’t publish that measure in a comparable file.
Illinois schools by county
Students enrolled, 2024–25.
Illinois schools — FAQ
How many students attend public school in Illinois?+
1,842,881 students were enrolled in Illinois's 4,438 public K-12 schools in the 2024–25 school year, taught by 137,789 full-time-equivalent teachers (NCES Common Core of Data).
What share of Illinois students get free or reduced-price lunch?+
54.6% of Illinois public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25 — a common proxy for student economic need.
What is Illinois's high school graduation rate?+
89.0% of Illinois's adjusted cohort graduated in the 2024–25 school year — reported by Illinois's education agency (its 4-year ACGR, more current than the federal series, which lags to 2021–22). Graduation rates run from 2010–11 onward.
Where does this data come from?+
Core statistics (enrollment, schools, teachers, poverty, demographics) come from the National Center for Education Statistics — the Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and the Civil Rights Data Collection. The most recent graduation rates and the state report-card outcomes (proficiency, college-going, dropout, chronic absenteeism) come directly from state education agencies, which publish sooner than the federal series. Full source and license details are on the methodology page. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with NCES or any state agency.
Other states
Data: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (CCD, EDFacts, CRDC) and ED Data Express, plus current-year graduation and report-card outcomes from state education agencies. Full source and license details on the methodology page.