Elmhurst District 205 elementary and middle school students posted the highest math proficiency rate among a group of demographically similar Illinois school districts, according to an analysis by Patch.

Seventy-one percent of D205 third-through-eighth graders met standards on the math section of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) last school year. That edged Naperville School District 203, which came in at 70%. Batavia District 101 finished last in the peer group at 61%.

The numbers come from the 2026 Illinois Report Card, which the state released Oct. 30 with results for 850 districts statewide.

Patch reporter David Giuliani compared D205's scores against seven K-12 districts that D205 officials once used in their own presentations: Barrington CUSD 220, Batavia District 101, Geneva District 304, Indian Prairie School District 204, Naperville School District 203, District 303 in St. Charles and Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200.

D205's math proficiency climbed from 69% the prior year to 71%. In English language arts, 81% of D205 students met standards, up from 78%. That put Elmhurst second only to Naperville's 82% in ELA.

One detail stands out in the comparison. D205 outperformed Geneva in both math and ELA even though Geneva's low-income student rate sits at 5%, less than a third of Elmhurst's 16%, according to Patch.

State designations

The district said in a news release that 11 of its 12 schools earned an Exemplary designation on the 2026 Report Card. Conrad Fischer Elementary School received an Approaching Exemplary rating. Fischer has the highest low-income student rate among D205 schools at 50%, according to Patch.

This year the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) changed how it assigns designations. Schools are now judged against fixed statewide criteria for proficiency, growth and graduation rates, Shaw Local reported. Previously, schools were ranked against each other, with the top 10% labeled exemplary.

Superintendent Dr. Keisha Campbell said the results reflect work across the district. "We are proud of this progress, and we know there is still work to do to ensure every student has the support and opportunities to reach their full potential," Campbell said in the release.

D205 shared the results at its annual State of the District event at York Community High School on Oct. 29.