Best Public Schools in Plainfield, IL

Plainfield, Illinois, has 28 schools: 15 elementary schools, nine middle or intermediate schools, and four high schools, serving students from elementary through high school. In 2025–2026, school-group averages were above state results in the reported subjects, but that broad picture hides substantial differences among schools. The clearest contrast is among elementary schools: Walkers Grove Elementary School scored 46 percentage points higher than Wesmere Elementary School in ELA and 53 points higher in math.

Several schools stand out at the top, while others are notably lower. Plainfield North High School led the high schools in all three ACT subjects, with 70% proficient in ELA, 54% in math, and 67% in science; its scores were 17, 14, and 15 points above the other three high schools’ averages, respectively. Plainfield South High School was lowest in all three. Among middle schools, Heritage Grove Middle School led ELA at 83%, while Timber Ridge Middle School had the lowest math result at 29%; Richard Ira Jones Middle School also had strong results, at 80% in ELA and 50% in math. Walkers Grove led elementary ELA and math at 86% and 80%; Wesmere was lowest at 41% and 27%. For science, Eagle Pointe Elementary School led fifth grade at 77%, and Murphy Junior High School led the shared eighth-grade comparison at 74%.

Recent changes differ by school group: high-school ACT averages fell 2 points in ELA, 4 in math, and 3 in science from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026; middle-school averages rose 2 points in ELA and 3 in math. Elementary averages rose 4 points in ELA but fell 1 point in math. The 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible measure also varies among schools: Walkers Grove and Lincoln Elementary were both 22%, despite different results, while Wesmere was 44%. This is useful background, not a simple guide to school performance. Middle-school all-grades comparisons are broad because schools serve different grade spans.