• Editor’s Note: This article is a follow-up to Wednesday’s story about the top high schools in Illinois, as rated by Niche. The website also ranked the 100 best school districts in Illinois, seven of which are from Kane County.

How do you measure a school district?

The Niche website bases its analysis of the best public school districts in the nation on “statistics, student and parent reviews and expert insights.” Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, student and parent reviews. Niche recently released its lists of best schools and best school districts for 2016.

• See how this ranking was calculated.
• Click here to search for your school or school district.

For a deeper dive into the “best” schools and school districts, check the recently released state of Illinois results at IllinoisReportCard.com.

School districts in the Tri-Cities — Geneva, St. Charles and Batavia — led the list of Niche rankings, with Geneva finishing on top at No. 14.

The top-rated school in the state, according to the Niche rankings, was New Trier Township High School District No. 203, which earned an A+ overall grade and scored an A+ in academics, administration & policies, educational outcomes, extracurriculars, health & safety and teachers.

#14 — Geneva Community Unit School District No. 304, Geneva, IL

CREDIT: Niche website screenshot

• Niche review: “Geneva Community Unit School District No. 304 is centered in Geneva Township, Illinois. It has 5,880 students attending 10 schools in grades PK and K-12. According to state standards, 80% of students in this district are considered proficient in math and/or reading. The district has an annual budget of $86,821,000, spending an average of $14,570 per student. There have been 272 reviews written and they have been mostly positive.”

#20 — St. Charles Community Unit School District No. 303 St. Charles, IL

• Niche review: “St. Charles Community Unit School District No. 303 is centered in St. Charles Township, Illinois. It has 13,373 students attending 17 schools in grades PK and K-12. According to state standards, 78% of students in this district are considered proficient in math and/or reading. The district has an annual budget of $183,840,000, spending an average of $13,446 per student. There have been 580 reviews written and they have been mostly positive.”

• Niche Review: “Central Community Unit School District No. 301 is centered in Plato Township, Illinois. It has 3,541 students attending 7 schools in grades PK and K-12. According to state standards, 74% of students in this district are considered proficient in math and/or reading. The district has an annual budget of $45,902,000, spending an average of $13,228 per student. There have been 115 reviews written and they have been mixed.”

#77 — Community Unit School District No. 300, Hampshire, IL

• Niche review: “Community Unit School District No. 300 is centered in Hampshire Township, Illinois. It has 20,884 students attending 27 schools in grades PK and K-12. According to state standards, 58% of students in this district are considered proficient in math and/or reading. The district has an annual budget of $227,877,000, spending an average of $10,950 per student. There have been 745 reviews written and they have been mostly positive.”

• Niche review: “Kaneland Community Unit School District No. 302 is centered in Kaneville Township, Illinois. It has 4,644 students attending 6 schools in grades PK and K-12. According to state standards, 68% of students in this district are considered proficient in math and/or reading. The district has an annual budget of $59,820,000, spending an average of $12,372 per student. There have been 187 reviews written and they have been mixed.”

#98 — Hinckley Big Rock Community Unit School District No. 429, Big Rock Township, IL

• Niche review: ” Hinckley Big Rock Community Unit School District No. 429 is centered in Big Rock Township, Illinois. It has 695 students attending 3 schools in grades PK and K-12. According to state standards, 74% of students in this district are considered proficient in math and/or reading. The district has an annual budget of $10,826,000, spending an average of $15,162 per student. There have been 24 reviews written and they have been mixed.”

About Niche’s K-12 Rankings

We’ve been helping people make informed choices about their education for more than 12 years. Over the years, we’ve helped millions of students choose their colleges. These students have come from nearly every public and private high school and school district in the United States. This gives us a unique insight into the student outcomes at each high school and district. Thanks to our comprehensive College Rankings, we can also assess the quality of those student outcomes.

By incorporating millions of opinions from more than 300,000 students and parents, dozens of statistical factors, and millions of student outcomes, we’re confident these are the most comprehensive K-12 school and district rankings to date.

SOURCE: Niche website