Indian Prairie School District 204, the public‑school system that includes parts of Aurora, Illinois, posted impressive results in the 2026 Illinois Report Card, with 23 of its 34 schools earning the state’s highest “Exemplary” designation. The achievement reflects district‑wide academic growth, notable progress for English Language Learners, and consistently high attendance rates, all of which are key indicators for families in Aurora.
Under Illinois’ new Profiles of Performance accountability framework, the district’s schools were evaluated against statewide benchmarks rather than relative rankings. In addition to the 23 Exemplary schools, four were named “Approaching Exemplary,” three received “Commendable” ratings, and one was designated as “Developing.” No school fell into the “Comprehensive” category, underscoring the district’s overall strength.
Superintendent Dr. John Price praised the results, saying, “Indian Prairie continues to show that we are a leading school district in the state of Illinois.” Board President Laurie Donahue added that the district’s commitment to equity is evident in the progress of English Language Learners, a growing student group in the district.
Key performance indicators showed measurable gains. Attendance rose to 94.4% in 2026, up from 93.8% the previous year, after the district eliminated non‑school vacation attendance codes and began issuing quarterly community attendance updates. Teacher stability remained high, with more than 83% of educators holding advanced degrees.
Academic proficiency also improved. English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency increased to 74.3% of students meeting or exceeding state standards, up from 71.5% in 2025. Science proficiency jumped to 71.4% from 65.6% the year before. High‑school ELA ACT proficiency rose slightly to 77.2% from 76.6%, and 8th‑grade Algebra enrollment grew from 50.4% to 54.1%.
Looking ahead to the 2026‑27 school year, the district plans to expand its Integrated Multi‑Tiered Systems of Support (iMTSS) to provide targeted enhancements in ELA and Math, and to deploy interactive data dashboards that give teachers real‑time insight into student performance. The current strategic plan will conclude, and the district will begin community engagement for its next multi‑year framework.
Families and community members can review the full 2026 Illinois Report Card at IllinoisReportCard.com.
What’s next: District officials will host a series of community forums in early 2027 to gather input on the upcoming strategic plan and to discuss how the expanded iMTSS and data tools will be implemented across Aurora schools.
Sources: positivelynaperville.com
