The State of Illinois released its 2026 Report Card, and Batavia Public School District 101 shows notable progress, confirming its standing as one of the higher-rated school districts in the region.

In this review, we pulled all the data and look at key performance changes between the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 school years at both the district and even the individual school levels. Believe it or not, there’s even more information available, to explore the data directly, you can visit the official Illinois State Report Card online at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

Understanding the Illinois State Report Card

What It Is: State and federal laws require that public school districts release report cards to the public annually. These reports function as comprehensive overviews of a district’s and school’s performance, containing data on academic progress (proficiency, growth, graduation rates), district environment (finances, class sizes, school days), student demographics (enrollment, attendance, mobility), teacher and administrator metrics (retention, salary), and civil rights indicators.

How It Is Used: The report card is used by families, community members, and policymakers to evaluate how effectively schools are serving it’s students. It relies on multiple measures of school performance and growth to assign an annual designation to each school. These designations act as accountability metrics that help the state identify schools requiring intervention; schools with lower designations receive additional funding and targeted support to build local capacity and improve student outcomes. Additionally, specialized sections like the State Performance Plan (SPP) evaluate the state’s efforts to implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Changes in Metrics Approach (2025 vs. 2026):

• Summative Designations: The categorization system for school accountability was expanded and renamed. In 2024-2025, there were five summative designations: Exemplary, Commendable, Targeted, Comprehensive, and Intensive.
  
  In 2025-2026, the state shifted to six designations: Exemplary, Approaching Exemplary, Commendable, Developing, Comprehensive, and Dually Designated.
• Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) Lag: Due to a two- to three-year reporting delay from the U.S. Department of Education, the 2024-2025 report card relied on CRDC data from the 2021-2022 academic year, whereas the 2025-2026 report card updated its civil rights indicators using 2023-2024 data.

Batavia USD 101 District Profile

Superintendent: Mr. Tom Kim
Percent of Adequacy: 106.4% (2024-2025) | 111.0% (2025-2026)

BPS101 made substantial gains in overall student achievement and district-wide rankings, pointing to highly effective classroom interventions.

• Summative Designations: The most remarkable shift occurred in the district’s state ratings. In 2025, BPS101 had 1 Exemplary school and 7 Commendable schools. By 2026, under the new and stricter framework, the district leapt to 5 Exemplary schools and 2 Commendable schools.
  
  (Note: “Exemplary” represents the top-performing tier of schools statewide, meaning the vast majority of Batavia schools are performing in the highest echelon in Illinois.)
• Core Subject Proficiency: English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency jumped notably from 65.5% in 2025 to 69.7% in 2026. Science proficiency saw a massive surge, rising from 60.2% to 67.1%.
• Middle School Milestones: The percentage of 8th graders passing Algebra I—a critical gateway metric for advanced high school STEM coursework—leapt from 16.4% in 2025 to 26.8% in 2026.
• High School & Beyond: Batavia High School students are succeeding at higher rates. The percentage of 9th graders considered “on track” (earning at least five course credits without failing core subjects) rose from 96.5% to 97.2%. Furthermore, the four-year graduation rate improved from an already strong 92.7% to an exceptional 93.5%.
• Post-Secondary Success: More BPS101 graduates are pursuing higher education. The 12-month postsecondary enrollment rate (students enrolling in a two- or four-year college within a year of graduation) climbed from 74.8% to 78.5%.

Inside the Classroom: Demographics, Attendance, and Teachers

While academic scores went up, the district saw subtle shifts in its population and staffing metrics.

• Enrollment & Demographics: Total district enrollment saw a slight contraction, dropping from 5,117 students in 2025 to 5,062 students in 2026. The demographic makeup remained relatively stable, though the percentage of students classified as low-income dropped from 18.8% to 17.9%. The percentage of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) grew slightly from 13.1% to 13.3%. English Learners (EL) enrollment rate remains relatively stable, increasing minimally from 6.6% to 6.7%.
  
  Students experiencing homelessness saw an increase, rising from 1.9% to 2.2% of the student body.
  
  
  Under Illinois state guidelines, homeless students are defined as children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; this includes students who are sharing housing due to economic hardship, living in motels, trailer parks, or emergency shelters, or staying in public or private spaces not ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations.
• Attendance: Consistent student attendance is improving. The district’s chronic absenteeism rate—defined as missing 10% or more of the school year (about 18 days) with or without a valid excuse—dropped from 14.1% down to 12.4%.
• Educator Investments: BPS101 is retaining its talent. Teacher retention rates improved from 90.4% to 91.0%. Concurrently, the average teacher salary in the district grew from $89,279 to $91,634, indicating a commitment to remaining competitive in the regional labor market.

Batavia USD 101 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) Metrics Comparison

The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), sourced biennially through the U.S. Department of Education, covers comprehensive indicators regarding student discipline, school climate, and academic access. Keep in mind, this data is from the 2023-2024 school year.

• Student Disciplinary Actions
  • In-school suspensions remained constant at 2.8% across both collection cycles, while out-of-school suspensions decreased slightly from 3.2% to 2.1%.
  • Expulsions remained stable at 0.0% with zero reported incidents across both reporting periods.
• Law Enforcement & Safety Interventions
  • School-related arrests were maintained at 0.0%.
  • Referrals to law enforcement experienced a marginal shift from 0.0% to 0.1%.
• School Climate & Safety Incidents
  • Reported incidents of violence decreased from 1.9% down to 0.0%.
  • Incidents of harassment or bullying remained constant at 0.0%.
  • Firearm incidents and homicides were recorded at 0 across both reporting periods.
• Academic Access & Course Enrollment
  • Preschool enrollment increased slightly from 2.7% (141 students) to 3.2% (160 students).
  • Advanced Placement (AP) coursework participation held steady at 12.3% (633 students in the earlier term and 609 students in the later term).
  • Dual-credit coursework participation saw a minor decrease from 9.8% (505 students) down to 9.5% (473 students).
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) coursework remained at 0.0% (0 students) due to no active program offerings.

Following the Money: District Finances

From a taxpayer and resource perspective, BPS101 is robustly funded and heavily reliant on the local tax base.

• Percent of Adequacy: This state metric evaluates if a district has sufficient financial resources to meet its students’ needs based on state evidence-based funding targets. BPS101 climbed from an already sufficient 106.4% in 2025 to 111.0% in 2026.
• Per-Pupil Spending: Overall district per-pupil spending increased significantly from $19,059 to $20,104 ($13,466 to $14,050 site level spending).
• Revenue Sourcing: The burden of this funding falls squarely on Batavia property owners. In 2026, 82.0% of the district’s revenue came directly from local property taxes, compared to 81.7% the year prior. State funding accounted for roughly 7.7% of the budget, and federal funding provided just 3.3%.

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	5,117	5,062
Average Class Size	23	23.1
Per-Student Spending (Site Level Subtotal)	$13,466	$14,050
Teacher Retention	90.4%	91.0%
Chronic Absenteeism	14.1%	12.4%
ELA Proficiency	65.5%	69.7%
Math Proficiency	60.1%	60.7%
Science Proficiency	60.2%	67.1%
8th Graders Passing Algebra I	16.4%	26.8%

Grace McWayne Elementary School

Principal: Mr. Jeffrey Modaff
Summative Designation: Exemplary School (2025) | Exemplary School (2026)

Grace McWayne maintained the state’s highest “Exemplary” summative designation across both years. The school experienced slight enrollment growth while simultaneously reducing its average class sizes. While ELA and Science proficiencies remained largely stable, Math proficiency saw a decline of 6.6 percentage points over the two-year period. Chronic absenteeism remained impressively low and entirely static at 5.8%.

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	373	386
Average Class Size	22	20.4
Per-Student Spending	$15,058	$15,160
Teacher Retention	91.3%	90.7%
Chronic Absenteeism	5.8%	5.8%
ELA Proficiency	71.9%	71.8%
Math Proficiency	76.6%	70.0%
Science Proficiency	60.4%	61.2%

Sam Rotolo Middle School

Principal: Mr. Joshua Louis
Summative Designation: Commendable School (2025) | Approaching Exemplary School (2026)

Sam Rotolo Middle School showed the most dramatic academic progress in the district, upgrading its state designation to “Approaching Exemplary” in 2026. The school absorbed a significant enrollment increase of 72 students, pushing average class sizes up slightly to 28.2. Despite this growth and a reduction in per-student spending, the school achieved massive proficiency gains across the board—most notably a nearly 17-point jump in Science proficiency and an 11.4-point increase in 8th graders passing Algebra I.

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	1,069	1,141
Average Class Size	27	28.2
Per-Student Spending	$12,949	$12,390
Teacher Retention	85.3%	86.7%
Chronic Absenteeism	10.4%	10.9%
ELA Proficiency	63.1%	70.6%
Math Proficiency	52.9%	59.5%
Science Proficiency	57.5%	74.3%
8th Graders Passing Algebra I	15.4%	26.8%

Alice Gustafson Elementary School

Principal: Ms. Kristen Stevens
Summative Designation: Commendable School (2025) | Commendable School (2026)

Alice Gustafson maintained its “Commendable” rating while experiencing minor demographic and financial shifts. Enrollment decreased slightly, and per-student spending saw a notable reduction from $13,894 to $12,335. Academically, the school saw an 11-point surge in Science proficiency and moderate gains in Math, though ELA proficiency dropped by 2.4 percentage points. The school also successfully slightly reduced its chronic absenteeism rate.

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	505	492
Average Class Size	20	20.1
Per-Student Spending	$13,894	$12,335
Teacher Retention	84.9%	85.9%
Chronic Absenteeism	10.1%	9.8%
ELA Proficiency	64.2%	61.8%
Math Proficiency	61.7%	65.2%
Science Proficiency	53.3%	64.3%

J B Nelson Elementary School

Principal: Ms. Nicole Prentiss
Summative Designation: Commendable School (2025) | Commendable School (2026)

J B Nelson maintained steady ELA and Math scores while delivering an exceptional turnaround in Science, catapulting from 38.7% proficiency in 2025 to 63.6% in 2026. The school faced a decline in enrollment (dropping from 428 to 397 students) and a decrease in average class size. The school heavily curbed chronic absenteeism, dropping the metric from 11.2% down to 8.0%, alongside an increase in per-student spending.

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	428	397
Average Class Size	22	20.2
Per-Student Spending	$11,282	$12,429
Teacher Retention	92.1%	89.9%
Chronic Absenteeism	11.2%	8.0%
ELA Proficiency	62.2%	62.8%
Math Proficiency	61.3%	59.3%
Science Proficiency	38.7%	63.6%

Louise White Elementary School

Principal: Mr. Michael Wall
Summative Designation: Commendable School (2025) | Commendable School (2026)

Louise White retained a completely static enrollment of exactly 391 students across both reporting years, with class sizes remaining effectively unchanged. The school made strong improvements in attendance, cutting chronic absenteeism from 12.7% down to 9.8%. While ELA proficiency saw a decline from 68.4% to 61.8%, both Math and Science saw improvements, with Science jumping over 14 percentage points.

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	391	391
Average Class Size	20	20.1
Per-Student Spending	$12,349	$12,335
Teacher Retention	86.6%	85.9%
Chronic Absenteeism	12.7%	9.8%
ELA Proficiency	68.4%	61.8%
Math Proficiency	63.3%	65.2%
Science Proficiency	57.1%	71.2%

HC Storm Elementary School

Principal: Mr. Chris Milka
Summative Designation: Commendable School (2024-2025) | Exemplary School (2025-2026)

Between the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 academic years, HC Storm Elementary School experienced a decrease in student enrollment, dropping from 370 to 338 students. Despite a slight increase in chronic absenteeism (from 6.8% to 8.6%), the school achieved the state’s highest accountability rating, elevating its summative designation from Commendable to Exemplary. Academically, the school saw significant gains in both English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, which rose from 64.3% to 70.8%, and Science proficiency, which increased from 66.7% to 75.0%. Math proficiency, however, declined slightly from 65.1% to 61.8%.

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	370	338
Average Class Size	17	16.3
Per-Student Spending (Site Level Subtotal)	$13,688	$15,153
Teacher Retention	97.3%	97.4%
Chronic Absenteeism	6.8%	8.6%
ELA Proficiency	64.3%	70.8%
Math Proficiency	65.1%	61.8%
Science Proficiency	66.7%	75.0%

Batavia Senior High School (9-12)

Principal: Mr. Bob Dietz
Summative Designation: Commendable School (2024-2025) | Exemplary School (2025-2026)

Batavia Sr High School saw a slight reduction in student enrollment, moving from 1,633 students in 2024-2025 to 1,585 students in 2025-2026. The high school successfully improved its state summative designation to Exemplary and made substantial progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, lowering the rate from 22.5% to 18.7%. Student outcomes after high school also improved, with the four-year graduation rate climbing from 92.7% to 93.5% and 12-month postsecondary college enrollment increasing from 74.8% to 78.5%. While ELA proficiency improved from 71.2% to 72.4%, the school experienced minor decreases in Math (62.9% to 60.0%) and Science proficiency (68.6% to 64.2%).

Metric	2024-2025	2025-2026
Enrollment	1,633	1,585
Average Class Size	24	24.3
Per-Student Spending (Site Level Subtotal)	$13,950	$16,066
Teacher Retention	91.2%	92.3%
Chronic Absenteeism	22.5%	18.7%
ELA Proficiency	71.2%	72.4%
Math Proficiency	62.9%	60.0%
Science Proficiency	68.6%	64.2%
High School Graduation Rate (4-Year)	92.7%	93.5%
Postsecondary Enrollment (12 Month)	74.8%	78.5%

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By: Jim Fahrenbach

Batavia USD 101 Shines in 2025 State Report Card