​SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today published the 2024 Illinois Report Card, which showed Illinois students in grades 3-8 charting the highest-ever proficiency rate in English language arts, thanks to the statewide focus on improving literacy. Illinois high schools also set a new record for the highest-ever four-year graduation rate, driven by steady gains for Black students.

"Students across Illinois are reaching new heights and educators are setting a powerful example of success," said Governor JB Pritzker. "This year's Report Card shows our highest graduation rate in 14 years at 87.7%, led by the incredible achievements of Black students, and strengthened by the state's investments in Career and Technical Education. It's equally exciting to see our youngest learners achieve the highest-ever proficiency rate in English Language Arts. These milestones demonstrate that our investments in students are delivering real results as Illinois continues to bounce back stronger from the challenges set by the pandemic."

"Illinois has seen tremendous, nation-leading recovery in English language arts, thanks to the talented teachers, principals, and superintendents in schools across the state who have worked diligently to implement shifts in their literacy practices," said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. "We have also set a new record for our high school graduation rate. Expanded access to advanced coursework and Career and Technical Education has made high school more rigorous and more relevant and kept students engaged. Our educators, students, and families should feel incredibly proud of how we have come together in the wake of the pandemic not just to recover but to emerge even stronger."

Highest-Ever Proficiency Rate for English Language Arts in Grades 3-8 Students in grades 3-8 achieved a proficiency rate of 40.9%, the highest ever since students began taking the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in 2019. The overall state-level ELA proficiency rates now exceed pre-pandemic levels for students in every race/ethnicity group, as well as English Learners, students with IEPs, and low-income students. Black students achieved the largest year-over-year gains, seeing a 26% increase in the percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards.

ISBE credits these nation-leading outcomes to the work of educators statewide to implement best practices in literacy. ISBE led an effort beginning in October 2022 to develop the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. The plan guides districts in examining their local practices and data and making shifts to implement evidence-based literacy instruction for all learners.

Record-High Graduation Rate
Illinois' high school graduation rate reached an all-time, 14-year high at 87.7%. Steady gains for Black students over the past six years have driven these historic increases in the graduation rate. Buoyed by increases in state funding since the state enacted Evidence-Based Funding in fiscal year 2018, high schools have invested in effective interventions for students not on track to graduate. The Pritzker Administration has increased the state's investment in EBF from $6.8 billion in FY 2019 to $8.6 billion in FY 2025.

The rate of ninth graders on track to graduate has also risen steadily and exceeds the pre-pandemic rate. Students on track at the end of ninth grade are four times as likely to graduate, according to University of Chicago research.

More High School Students Participating in Career and Technical Education and Advanced Coursework, Supporting Gains in Graduation Rate
Participation in Career and Technical Education (CTE) and in advanced coursework continued to rise in 2024, supporting the statewide gains in the graduation rate. Illinois students participating in CTE have higher graduation rates than their peers. Research also shows that students participating in advanced coursework, such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and dual credit, have higher graduation rates.

CTE participation grew among all major student groups with participation among English Learners rising 33% since 2022. Gov. Pritzker and the General Assembly appropriated a $10 million increase in state funding to support the growth in CTE statewide and the phasing in of a new, more equitable distribution formula for state CTE funds.

ISBE also expects to see participation in advanced coursework continue to rise, especially among underrepresented student groups, thanks to the Accelerated Placement Act, which provides for the automatic enrollment of students the following year in the next most rigorous level of coursework, if the student meets or exceeds state standards on a state assessment. Acceleration begins in the 2024-25 school year, based on spring 2024 assessment results.

Minor Gains in Math Proficiency for Grades 3-8
ISBE is launching a statewide effort to develop a comprehensive math and numeracy plan to accelerate math recovery, following the model of its successful and nationally acclaimed literacy plan. The math proficiency rate for grades 3-8 rose again slightly, showing steady improvement since the pandemic. However, recovery has been slower in math than in ELA. The overall state-level math proficiency rates increased in every race/ethnicity group, as well as among English Learners, students with IEPs, and low-income students, but remained lower than pre-pandemic levels. The forthcoming first-of-its-kind statewide math and numeracy plan will offer Illinois educators the first comprehensive support in math instruction since Illinois adopted its new math learning standards in 2010.

Chronic Absenteeism Improves for Second Year
Chronic absenteeism saw significant improvement for the second year, declining another 7% from 28.3% in 2023 to 26.3% in 2024. Chronic absenteeism skyrocketed nationwide during the pandemic and has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. Absenteeism remains highest and has been slowest to improve among high school students. Attendance matters. Research definitively links high absenteeism to lower test scores. ISBE continues to support schools in implementing individualized and trauma-informed student-family interventions to identify and address the root causes of absenteeism.

Recovery Lagging in High School
While Illinois has seen outstanding recovery for grades 3-8 and a record-high graduation rate, ELA and math recovery in high school lag. Proficiency rates in high school have trended down since 2019, and slightly smaller percentages of high school students met or exceeded grade-level standards last year, compared to the year before.

ISBE attributes the phenomenon of rising graduation rates yet lagging proficiency rates in part to the structure of the states' accountability system, which incentivizes graduation but not growth in high schools. Year-over-year growth counts for 50% of the accountability score for elementary and middle schools, incentivizing a focus on elevating the overall quality of instruction, alignment to standards, and rigor of curriculum to produce gains for each and every student, every year.

The accountability system does not include a growth indicator for high schools. The graduation rate counts for 50% of the accountability score for high schools, incentivizing schools to focus on improving graduation rates.

Both graduation and proficiency measure simply whether or not a student met a set of standards/requirements, whereas the student growth percentile rewards growth for every student toward or past the standards, no matter where they started the year before.

ISBE will begin calculating a growth percentile for high schools starting with 2024-25 school year assessments.

Continued Success in Reducing College Remediation Rate
Illinois has cut the number of Illinois graduates in community college having to enroll in remedial courses by 44% since 2014. ISBE partnered with other state agencies to implement transitional math and English courses at high schools statewide, which guarantee students' direct placement into credit-bearing courses at all community colleges and accepting Illinois universities without a placement test.

More Teachers in Illinois Than Ever Before
Illinois has more teachers than ever before in the teacher workforce and a greater number of Hispanic, Black, and Asian teachers. The number of teachers has grown year-over-year since FY 2018 when the state enacted Evidence-Based Funding. However, teacher supply has not kept pace with growing demand, and Illinois has a shortage of teachers, especially in bilingual and special education and in rural and urban areas. Illinois has driven increases in teacher recruitment and retention through investment in a robust portfolio of teacher pipeline initiatives, including the $45 million Teacher Vacancy Grant in both FY 2024 and 2025, which provides funding to the 170 districts with the greatest teacher shortages; CTE Education Career Pathways Grants that prepare current high school students for careers in teaching; and a $6 million teacher recruitment marketing campaign, The Answer Is Teaching.

More Diverse Student Enrollment
Illinois schools enrolled greater numbers of English Learners and more Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year. The long-term trend of overall declining enrollment, which tracks with the declining birth rate nationwide, has stabilized. Enrollment decreased by a third of a percent last year.

​​ The 2024 Illinois Report Card provides a snapshot of school performance data from the 2023-24 school year. Visit lllinoisreportcard.com for interactive graphs and visualizations and download spreadsheets of all 2024 data, state-level 15-year trend data, and student growth percentiles on the ISBE Report Card webpage.

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