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Best Public Schools in Aurora, IL


At a glance
50
Schools
34,906
Students
7
Districts
4
5-star schools
Top rankedIllinois Mathematics and Science Academy1st of 620 Illinois high schools
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Biggest riser
Smith Elementary School up 380 spots statewide this year
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Smallest classes
Georgetown Elementary School 12 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
2★
1★
0★
12 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

Aurora, Illinois, has 44 schools: 28 elementary, 11 middle and five high schools, serving students from elementary through high school. The most important finding for families is how much results differ from one school to another: all-grade proficiency ranges span 63 to 69 percentage points at elementary and middle schools, and 75 to 84 points across high schools.

Several schools stand out at the top, but leaders differ by level and subject. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy led the five high schools in all three ACT subjects, with 99% in ELA, 100% in math and 98% in science; East High School was lowest, at 23%, 15% and 24%. Among elementary schools, Reba O. Steck Elementary School led all-grade ELA and math at 82% and 72%, while Mabel O’Donnell Elementary School had the lowest ELA rate, 13%, and John Gates Elementary School the lowest math rate, 10%. At middle level, Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy led ELA at 88%, and Still Middle School led math at 62%; K D Waldo Middle School was lowest in both, at 20% and 9%.

Recent movement is mixed: middle-school averages rose 4 percentage points in ELA and 2 in math from 2024–25 to 2025–26, while elementary ELA rose 2 points but fell further behind the state. High-school ACT averages declined 2 points in ELA and 1 in math. SchoolDigger ranks IMSA 1st of 620 Illinois schools; it also reports a 20.5 student-teacher ratio in 2024–25, showing that its high results do not coincide with the area’s lowest ratio. Context can help families compare schools but does not explain results: C I Johnson Elementary had 58% of students free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25 and reported strong results across tested grades in 2025–26; SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile ranking for Johnson rose from 71 to 89 between 2023–24 and 2025–26.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Cities Near Aurora

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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.

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