Woodridge, Downers Grove schools crack top 200 in state rankings

John L. Sipley Elementary School in Woodridge ranked No. 145 out of 1,360 Illinois elementary schools in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary Schools rankings released Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Downers Grove's Lester Elementary School placed No. 194, and Westmont's Maercker Elementary School came in at No. 368.

Sipley, at 2806 83rd St., earned an overall score of 89.4 out of 100 and received "well above expectations" marks in both reading and math performance, according to U.S. News. The school enrolls 430 students in pre-K through sixth grade with a 15-to-1 student-teacher ratio. All 29 full-time teachers are certified. Forty-four percent of Sipley's students are classified as economically disadvantaged.

Sipley students outperformed both their Woodridge School District 68 peers and the state average. Sixty-four percent tested at or above proficiency in reading, compared with 58% districtwide and 45% statewide, according to U.S. News. In math, 52% hit proficiency, compared with 40% districtwide and 36% statewide.

Lester Elementary, at 236 Indianapolis Ave. in Downers Grove, scored 85.8 out of 100. The school serves 531 students in pre-K through sixth grade in Downers Grove Grade School District 58. Sixty-four percent of Lester students tested proficient in both math and reading, above the district averages of 58% in math and 61% in reading.

Maercker Elementary, at 5827 S. Cass Ave. in Westmont, scored 72.99 out of 100 and serves 456 students in grades 3 through 5 in Maercker School District 60. Half of its students are economically disadvantaged. The school earned a "well above expectations" rating in math performance.

U.S. News ranked nearly 47,000 public elementary schools at the state and district level. There is no national ranking. The formula weighted four factors equally at 25% each: math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance. Half the formula measured raw scores; the other half factored in socioeconomic demographics.

Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis, said in a statement that the 2027 rankings incorporated state-level data across all proficiency levels. Brooks said the approach gives families and educators a clearer picture of student growth.

Illinois' top 10 elementary schools (2027 U.S. News)