2007Academic Excellence Award

Many of this nation's most honored schools are in Illinois. Awards and lists of outstanding schools generated by national magazines, government agencies, realtors, and research studies always include first-rate institutions in our state.  The Academic Excellence Awards recognize 166 schools that have sustained very high performance levels.

In these elementary schools, at least 90% of students met or exceeded state standards in the past three years. At the high school level, at least 80% of students passed the Prairie State Achievement Exam for the past three years. All Academic Excellence schools achieved Adequate Yearly Progress for the last three years, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Achieving and maintaining excellence is not easy in any school. The critical strategies for success cited by the 2003–2004 award-winning Illinois principals in NIU's Mission Possible also operate in the schools winning the Excellence Award. Students, teachers, school leaders, parents, and community members all contribute to sustaining high-level academic performance.

Total Number by Year

Total Number in 2007 = 166

Total Number in 2006 = 129

Total Number in 2005 = 101

Total Number in 2004 = 63

School Types

Academic Excellence High Schools

Academic Excellence Middle Schools

Test Scores - Moving More Students into the Exceeds Range

• 71 elementary schools showed increases in scores over last year even though they started at a baseline above 90% of students meeting or exceeding standards.
• 57 elementary schools showed decreases in test scores, but stayed above the 90% mark.
• Jones College Preparatory High School students raised their scores by 8.7%.

Low-Income Enrollment of Academic Excellence Schools

• 15 schools in Chicago enroll 4.5 to 55.2% low- income students.
• 139 of the 166 Academic Excellence schools enroll fewer than 15% low-income students.

Geographic Distribution of 166 Academic Excellence Awards

School Size

• Adlai Stevenson High School in Lake County is the largest with 4461 students; all six suburban high schools enroll more than 1700.
• Elementary enrollments range from 51 in Bishop Creek to 872 students at Fry Elementary in Naperville.
• 54% of the elementary schools enroll more than 400 students.

Districts with 4 or More Academic Excellence Awards

Repeat Winners