PEORIA, Ill. – More students are graduating from Peoria Public Schools, while academic performance and attendance are also showing improvement, according to the newly released 2026 Illinois Report Card.
The district announced Friday that its graduation rate has reached 83%, the highest in at least a decade.
That’s an increase of 2.3 percentage points from 2025 and 14.5 percentage points since 2016, when the graduation rate stood at 68.5%.
The report also shows improvements in English, math and science proficiency, although a majority of students are still not meeting proficiency standards in those subjects.
Districtwide English language arts proficiency increased from 29% to 32%, while math proficiency rose from 18% to 18.9%.
Science saw a larger improvement, with proficiency increasing from 20.7% to 27% among students in grades five through 11.
Attendance is also improving.
The district’s chronic absenteeism rate fell to 29.7%, down 2.9 percentage points from last year and its lowest reported level since 2018.
Meanwhile, teacher retention has increased from 79% in 2020 to 90% in 2026.
Superintendent Dr. Jerry Bell says academic achievement, attendance and student engagement are closely connected.
“Students are more likely to reach their full potential when they are consistently present, feel safe and supported, experience a sense of belonging, and are actively engaged in meaningful learning,” Bell said.
The report also introduces Illinois’ new Profiles of Performance system, which replaces the state’s previous school accountability designations.
Under the new system, two Peoria Public Schools buildings, Northmoor Primary School and Reservoir Gifted Academy, received the highest designation of Exemplary.
Three schools were rated Approaching Exemplary, while six received Commendable ratings.
However, 12 district schools were placed in the two lowest categories, Developing and Comprehensive.
Those receiving Comprehensive designations include Manual High School, Peoria High School, Sterling Middle School, Harold B. Dawson Middle School, Lincoln K-8 School and The Elise Ford Allen Academy.
District officials say they will continue focusing on academic achievement, attendance, student engagement and additional support for schools needing improvement.
Complete results are available at IllinoisReportCard.com.
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