Seven Kane County School Districts made Niche’s 2017 list of Best School Districts in Illinois.

All seven districts finished among the top 100 in Illinois, and each earned an overall letter grade ranging from A+ to A-.

The grades and rankings were based on “rigorous analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data, and ratings collected from millions of Niche users,” according the Niche website.

What’s more, each of the seven Kane County school districts moved up in the rankings over the previous year. Central School District 301 (Burlington) jumped from 60th in 2016 to 38th in 2017, Kaneland School District 302 from 85th to 53rd and Community Unit School District No. 300 (Carpentersville) from 77th to 56th.

Hinckley Big Rock Community Unit School District 429 scored the biggest year-over-year improvement, moving from 98th in 2016 to 51st in 2017.

The Tri-Cities schools districts in Geneva, St. Charles and Batavia again topped the list for Kane County, ranking 12th, 14th and 24th respectively in the state of Illinois.

Several nearby school districts serving communities with footprints in Kane County also made the list.

• Indian Prairie Community Unit School District No. 204 serves Aurora and is ranked No. 7
• Consolidated School District No. 158 serves Algonquin and is ranked No. 29.

The top-rated school in the state, according to the Niche rankings, was Community High School District 128 in Vernon Hills, which scored an A+ in every category except diversity. District 128 was second in the nation this year, beating out perennial Illinois education powerhouse New Trier Township High School District No. 203 in Northfield.

#12 — Geneva Community Unit School District No. 304

• Last Year’s Ranking: No. 14

#14 — St. Charles Community Unit School District No. 303

• Last Year’s Ranking: No. 20
  

#24 — Batavia Public School District 101

• Last Year’s Ranking: No. 30

#38 — Central Community Unit School District No. 301 (Burlington)

• Last Year’s Ranking: No. 60

#51 — Hinckley Big Rock Community Unit School District No. 429

• Last Year’s Ranking: No. 98

#53 — Kaneland Community Unit School District No. 302

• Last Year’s Ranking: No. 85

#56 — Community Unit School District No. 300 (Carpentersville)

• Last Year’s Ranking: No. 77

How Niche Did the Rankings

This ranking assesses 10,364 U.S. public school districts. The same methodology is used to produce the Overall Niche Grade for each ranked school district as well as additional school districts. Statistics obtained from the U.S. Department of Education represent the most recent data available, usually from 2014–2016, as self-reported by the school districts.

For more details about how Niche calculates rankings, click here.

SOURCE: Niche website and news release