Best Middle Schools in Elgin, IL

Summary:

The city of Elgin, Illinois is home to 5 middle schools serving grades 6-8, with a stark contrast in academic performance between the schools. Prairie Knolls Middle School stands out as the top-performing school, consistently ranking among the top 15% of middle schools in Illinois and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. In contrast, the other 4 middle schools - Abbott Middle School, Larsen Middle School, Ellis Middle School, and Kimball Middle School - are all ranked in the bottom 15-20% of Illinois middle schools, with 1-star or 0-star ratings.

Prairie Knolls Middle School's exceptional performance is evident in its test scores, with 82.4% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 59.4% in Mathematics for the 2024-2025 school year. In contrast, the other 4 schools struggle academically, with proficiency rates ranging from 26.3% to 31.7% in ELA and 10.7% to 14.5% in Math. Additionally, all 5 schools have a concerning chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4%, significantly higher than the state average.

The data also reveals that Central CUSD 301 and School District U-46

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISA Science (2025)	IAR English Language Arts (2025)				IAR Mathematics (2025)				% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% DTP (2024)	% Meningococcal (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	% DTP All Grades	% Meningococcal All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Prairie Knolls Middle School	Public	6-7	225 Nesler Rd	Elgin	60124	Kane County	Central CUSD 301	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 717-8100	770	45	17.2	16.8%	470 (61.0%)	20 (2.6%)	127 (16.5%)	117 (15.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.4%)	90.7	111^th of 1368 public middle schools	91.9%		87.7	136^th of 1363 public middle schools	90.0%	25		87.6	76.7		82.4	65.0	53.3		59.4	98.7	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.8	98.5	98.8	96.3	$14,758	$241	$14,517
Abbott Middle School	Public	7-8	949 Van St	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5160	551	43	12.7	69.3%	54 (9.8%)	55 (10.0%)	407 (73.9%)	21 (3.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	18.3	1153^rd of 1368 public middle schools	15.7%		15.1	1229^th of 1363 public middle schools	9.8%	76	23.5		29.8	23.0	26.3		15.7	12.3	13.9	97.3	97.1	97.1	97.1	96.5	96.0	97.3	95.6	$22,688	$1,845	$20,843
Ellis Middle School	Public	7-8	225 S Liberty St	Elgin	60120	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5151	496	41	12.0	72.4%	22 (4.4%)	24 (4.8%)	428 (86.3%)	11 (2.2%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	19.8	1118^th of 1368 public middle schools	18.3%		24.2	1018^th of 1363 public middle schools	25.3%	100	25.0		25.0	38.1	31.7		10.3	13.1	11.7	98.9	98.8	98.8	98.8	99.3	97.9	98.2	97.7	$21,428	$1,884	$19,544
Kimball Middle School	Public	7-8	451 N McLean Blvd	Elgin	60123	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5290	501	41	12.1	63.9%	56 (11.2%)	51 (10.2%)	371 (74.1%)	6 (1.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.6%)	17	1169^th of 1368 public middle schools	14.5%		16.3	1192^nd of 1363 public middle schools	12.5%	23	24.5		25.2	30.3	27.7		13.4	7.7	10.7	99.5	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.1	99.7	98.4	$24,597	$1,562	$23,035
Larsen Middle School	Public	7-8	665 Dundee Ave	Elgin	60120	Kane County	School District U-46	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(847) 888-5250	570	40	14.3	62.8%	42 (7.4%)	26 (4.6%)	454 (79.6%)	34 (6.0%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.6%)	20.3	1108^th of 1368 public middle schools	19.0%		22.6	1048^th of 1363 public middle schools	23.1%	60	23.9		32.2	29.2	30.8		15.6	13.3	14.5	97.6	97.6	97.6	97.6	98.2	97.1	97.6	97.2	$20,607	$1,739	$18,868

Cities Near Elgin

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Hoffman Estates	2.31 mi	14	193^rd
South Elgin	2.32 mi	6	339^th
Bartlett	3.73 mi	9	192^nd
Sleepy Hollow	3.74 mi	1	164^th
West Dundee	3.79 mi	1	354^th

See the top IL Illinois cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.