Indian Prairie School District 204 has remained in the top 40 school districts in the country, according to the latest rankings from Niche.
Niche released its 2026 lists for the Best K-12 Schools and Districts in America last week. Indian Prairie came in at 36th this year, with nine other Illinois districts cracking the top 40.
Among Illinois school districts, Niche ranked Indian Prairie ninth, with nearby Naperville 203 taking the 11th spot.
In a statement provided to The Beacon-News on Monday, Indian Prairie District 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley said that the district was “honored to be recognized among the top school districts in Illinois and the nation.”
Niche is an online rating database that ranks and reviews schools and places to live. This year’s rankings evaluated more than 11,000 school districts, 93,000 public schools and 30,000 private schools nationwide, according to Niche. It gets its data from sources like student, parent and teacher reviews, school-reported statistics, federal datasets and other information on school resources, programs, facilities and athletics.
The school district rankings are based on a number of weighted factors, according to Niche. For example, a district’s score on academics counts for 50% of its overall ranking, while a district’s grades for teachers, culture and diversity and overall experience based on parent and student surveys make up another 40%. SAT/ACT scores were not factored into this year’s rankings, according to Niche, to reflect a de-emphasis on test scores in college admissions.
“This achievement reflects the dedication of our teachers, staff, students and families who make Indian Prairie a truly special place to learn,” Talley said about this year’s rankings. “We are especially proud of our district’s diversity, which enriches our classrooms and prepares our students to thrive in a global community.”
Indian Prairie has ranked high on Niche’s list in recent years. Last year, for example, it came in at 29th, according to past reporting. In 2023, the district jumped up 20 spots on the annual list, from 56th to 36th.
The district also has an overall grade of A+ from Niche. Districts are given a “report card” with a list of grades on factors like academics, diversity, sports and clubs.
Individual schools in District 204 also ranked highly this year.
The district’s three high schools — Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley and Waubonsie Valley — took the 11th, 14th and 22nd spots, respectively, in Niche’s Illinois public high school rankings for 2026. Three Indian Prairie schools — Graham, Spring Brook and Oliver Julian Kendall — cracked the top 10 for public elementary schools in the state, and Scullen, Gordon Gregory and Clifford Crone were ranked by Niche in the top 10 public middle schools in Illinois this year.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com