NORMAL, Ill. (October 30, 2026) – Unit 5 has doubled the number of schools earning the state's highest performance rating, and students continue to show academic gains, according to the 2026 Illinois School Report Card released Friday.
Six Unit 5 schools earned Exemplary status, up from three last year. The district also saw increases in ACT scores, graduation rates, and English Language Arts (ELA) performance.
"Our teachers and staff work incredibly hard to help students grow and learn, and these results reflect that commitment," said Unit 5 Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle. "Having six schools earn Exemplary status, along with the academic gains we're seeing across the district, shows that our efforts are making a difference."
The Illinois State Board of Education releases the School Report Card each year to provide families and communities with information about student achievement and school performance.
People are also reading…
Highlights from the 2026 report card
- Six Exemplary schools: Benjamin, Grove, Hudson, Northpoint, Prairieland, and Towanda elementary schools earned the state's highest performance rating.
- Four Approaching Exemplary schools: Carlock Elementary, Colene Hoose Elementary, Normal Community High School, and Normal West High School.
- Nine Commendable schools: Cedar Ridge, Fairview, Fox Creek, Glenn and Parkside elementary schools, and Chiddix, Evans, Kingsley and Parkside Junior.
- ACT scores: Unit 5's average ACT composite score increased from 19.6 to 20.8, exceeding both the state and national average.
- Above state averages: Unit 5 students also outperformed state averages in ACT ELA and math, as well as the percentage of eighth-grade students passing Algebra I.
- Graduation rates: The district's four-year graduation rate reached 91%, exceeding the state average of 89.8%. Normal Community High School increased from 87.1% to 91.4%, while Normal West improved from 93.2% to 93.9%.
- English Language Arts: Unit 5 students in grades 3–8 continue to make gains, with the percentage meeting or exceeding expectations up 3.9 percentage points from last year. The district also continues to perform above the state average.
- School improvement: Kingsley Junior High School has maintained Commendable status for three consecutive years after being identified for targeted support in 2022–2023. Fox Creek and Cedar Ridge were also previously targeted, but advanced to Commendable status this year.
Understanding the new School Report Card
This year, Illinois introduced a new accountability system called Profiles of Performance. These profiles are based on multiple measures of school performance and provide additional insight into how schools perform across various indicators.
Schools are assigned one of five performance levels: Exemplary, Approaching Exemplary, Commendable, Developing, or Comprehensive.
Sugar Creek showed impressive growth in ELA, with its growth score increasing from 41.6 to 52.4, exceeding both district and state averages despite its overall Developing designation. Pepper Ridge, which also had a Developing designation, made significant gains in science proficiency, increasing from 28.6% to 50.8% and exceeding the state average. The school also showed improvement in math growth and student attendance, highlighting progress in several areas.
Oakdale, which has a Comprehensive designation, has seen positive growth from fall to spring in the number of students at or above benchmark expectations in Star Reading and Math over the past two years. This fall, Oakdale has the highest percent of students at or above benchmark in both reading and math for the past three years.
While the School Report Card is one measure of student achievement, Unit 5 schools regularly review student performance, set goals, and adjust instruction to meet student needs.
"The report card gives us a chance to recognize what our schools are doing well and take a closer look at where we need to focus our efforts," Weikle said. "We have high expectations for our students, and our teachers and staff work every day to help them grow."
Additional information about individual schools and district performance is available through the Illinois School Report Card.
