5-Year Proficiency Trend: Illinois K-12
Average district-level IAR proficiency rates 2021–2025 — COVID recovery visible but gaps remain severe
ELA Proficiency — All Students
Average across all 864 districts with data
+24.7 points since 2021. But 62 districts still below 30% — essentially no students meeting grade-level standards.
Math Proficiency — All Students
Average across all 864 districts with data
Still only 38.7% statewide. More than 6 in 10 Illinois students are not meeting grade-level math standards.
ELA Proficiency — Low-Income Students
Economically disadvantaged subgroup
10.1-point gap vs. all students in 2025. 23 districts where low-income ELA proficiency is below 20%.
Math Proficiency — Low-Income Students
Economically disadvantaged subgroup
Only 27.7% of low-income students meet math standards — an 11-point gap vs. all students. Carl Perkins V equity implications in high-CTE districts.
Equity Gap Analysis
Updated: May 2026
Proficiency disparities by student subgroup — 2025 statewide averages
| Robbins Schwartz Nicholas Lifton & Taylor CRITICAL |
Legal |
527 |
37.6% |
$155,329,944 |
| WCSIT / ISDA HIGH |
Insurance Pool |
375 |
26.8% |
$131,916,790 |
| Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. HIGH |
Insurance Broker |
261 |
18.6% |
$128,336,564 |
| Hodges Loizzi Eisenhammer Rodick & Kohn |
Legal |
42 |
3.0% |
$15,441,500 |
| Miller, Hall & Triggs |
Legal |
62 |
4.4% |
$8,215,990 |
CRITICAL FINDING — LEGAL MONOPOLY: A single law firm serves 527 of 1,400 Illinois school districts (37.6%). Robbins Schwartz simultaneously drafts board policy, negotiates labor contracts, advises on FOIA, and provides general counsel for competing districts across the state. Districts with adverse interests share the same legal counsel. Applies: 50 ILCS 105/3 • 720 ILCS 5/33-3 • 105 ILCS 5/10-9
Illinois TIF Statewide Legal Audit — 1,500+ Districts
Tax Increment Financing abuse • Klein Thorpe & Jenkins dual representation • Orland Park • Tinley Park • $1B+ annual captured revenue
1,500+
Active TIF Districts in Illinois
$1B+
Annual Property Tax Captured from Schools
23–35 yrs
TIF District Lifespan (Base + Extended)
5 of 14
Blight Factors Required — Routinely Fabricated
CRITICAL — KLEIN, THORPE & JENKINS DUAL REPRESENTATION: KTJ attorney Dennis Walsh simultaneously served as Village Attorney for Orland Park (drafting TIF ordinances) and represented Orland SD 135 and CHSD 230 on school law matters — the same school districts that lost property tax revenue to those TIFs. KTJ is now issuing opinion letters claiming the school payment agreements it originally drafted are unenforceable. Applies: 50 ILCS 105/3 • 65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-5(d) • Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 1.7, 1.9
ORLAND PARK MAIN STREET TRIANGLE
Created: 2004 • Investment: $100M+ over 20+ years • Mayor Pekau called it “a disaster”
Blight declared: 9 acres at LaGrange Rd & 143rd — one of the highest-traffic commercial corridors in southwest Cook County
KTJ drafted original ordinance. KTJ now says school payment agreement is illegal.
TINLEY PARK HARMONY SQUARE — BREMEN TIF
Joe Rizza: Car dealer + Bremen Township Assessor + Tinley Park Village Board (simultaneously)
Contractors: Curran Contracting + RC Wegman (same firms on multiple TIF projects statewide)
TIF revenue from schools funds infrastructure for property Rizza may benefit from as assessor and board member.
Individual District Audit Reports — 14 Districts
Full 12-section audits • Compliance matrix • Board members • Admin staff • Bond history • Equity gaps • FOIA roadmap
852
K-12 District Websites Scraped
2,738
Documents Downloaded
3,719
District Personnel Identified
14
Full Deep-Audit Reports Completed
CRITICAL — CHSD 230 (D230): 3 red findings + 9 yellow/orange flags. School nurse ratio 1,871:1 (vs NASN 750:1 standard). IEP ELA proficiency 16.1%, IEP Math 10.7%. $54M issued in non-referendum bonds across 7 series (2007–2022) under Limited Tax / Working Cash carve-outs — zero voter approvals. BoardDocs minutes indexed: 713 meetings (2007–2026).