Best Public Schools in Rockford, IL

Rockford has 40 schools—28 elementary, seven middle and five high—listed in Rockford School District 205, with achievement results varying widely across schools. The clearest finding is that the two Thurgood Marshall schools are exceptional standouts in an area where many other schools score substantially lower.

Thurgood Marshall Elementary led elementary results: in 2025–26, grade 3 proficiency was 96% in ELA and 99% in math, while grade 4 results were 100% in both; SchoolDigger ranked it 3rd of 1,737 Illinois elementary schools. Thurgood Marshall Middle also stood apart, with 97% all-grades ELA and 94% math; SchoolDigger ranked it 9th of 1,126 middle schools. Haskell STEAM Academy was another strong elementary result, with 66% ELA and 50% math, and a SchoolDigger rank of 602nd of 1,737. Among high schools, Auburn led in ACT ELA and math at 36% and 27%, while Jefferson had the lowest results among the four reporting schools: 15% ELA, 8% math and 16% science. Lower elementary results included Ellis at 15% in grade 3 ELA and Riverdahl at 10% in grade 3 math.

Recent results are mixed: all-grades ELA rose 11 points at Spring Creek and 13 points at R K Welsh from 2024–25 to 2025–26, but fell 7 points at Whitehead. The four high schools’ average ACT results were 25% in ELA, 15% in math and 25% in science, compared with state results of 50%, 40% and 48%; SchoolDigger’s percentile rankings also declined for all four between 2023–24 and 2025–26. The reported measure was free/reduced lunch eligible, sy 2024–25: 62% at Haskell and 32% at Thurgood Marshall Middle, alongside very different school contexts and outcomes; these figures do not explain achievement. Overall, school-to-school differences matter more than assuming one pattern applies across Rockford.