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East State Street in downtown RockfordPhoto: Alexbaumgarner · CC BY-SA 3.0
D
Schools in Rockford · Rockford School District 205

Rockford’s public schools score below 95% of Illinois districts on tests and graduation

Math proficiency in Rockford’s districts is 12%, below the Illinois average (26%). The grade covers the public school district serving Rockford, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Illinois, not nationally.

#750of 768 Illinois townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From Illinois state tests taken in spring 2021, when nearly all of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
16%
▼ 14 pts vs IL 30%
2020–21
Math proficiency
12%
▼ 14 pts vs IL 26%
2020–21
Graduate on time
69%
▼ 19 pts vs IL 88%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$20.4K
▼ 6% vs IL $21.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
17.4
IL 13.6 · larger classes
Schools in town
0
25,207 students on the public path
In brief

Rockford’s schools, in brief

Results trail the state

In spring 2021, 16% of tested students were proficient in reading and 12% in math, against 30% and 26% statewide; nearly all of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

69% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois. Districts ↓

Spending, and where it came from

The district spent $20,357 per student in FY2024, against $21,567 across Illinois. 24% of its revenue that year was federal (Illinois 10%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓

24 elementary schools, then nine middle and five high schools

Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is up 6% since 2020–21. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Rockford’s grade

C− Test scoresD− Graduation

D: better than 5% of Illinois school districts, #750 of 768 Illinois towns. Both inputs trail the Illinois average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.

Illinois school districts we grade (887)Better than 5%
Lower resultsHigher results
Illinois towns with similar household incomes (1051)Better than 3%
D−DA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 11,438 test results and a graduating class of 1,949 could put Rockford anywhere from D− to D. The tests are from spring 2021, when nearly all of Rockford’s students in the tested grades sat them (10,227 in math, 12,650 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Rockford, with each school’s own grade.

24 schools teach K in Rockford’s district. Which one depends on your address. Their grades range from D− to B−, so check the specific school.
Whitehead Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D
678 students18:1Rate it →
Cherry Valley Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C+
676 students17:1Rate it →
Montessori Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–8
C+
660 students17:1Rate it →
Barbour Two-Way Lang Immersion
Elementary · Grades K–8
D
628 students19:1Rate it →
Constance Lane Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
623 students16:1Rate it →
Swan Hillman Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
581 students17:1Rate it →
Riverdahl Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
535 students17:1Rate it →
Spring Creek Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C+
523 students16:1Rate it →
Washington Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D
523 students18:1Rate it →
West View Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
521 students21:1Rate it →
Rolling Green
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
505 students13:1Rate it →
Brookview Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
B−
484 students17:1Rate it →
R K Welsh Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D
483 students19:1Rate it →
Ellis Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
457 students13:1Rate it →
Arthur Froberg Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C
426 students16:1Rate it →
C Henry Bloom Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
426 students18:1Rate it →
Maud E Johnson Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
425 students15:1Rate it →
Gregory Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C
418 students17:1Rate it →
McIntosh Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
398 students17:1Rate it →
Clifford P Carlson Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C
390 students18:1Rate it →
Lewis Lemon Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
378 students16:1Rate it →
Conklin Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–6
D−
372 students15:1Rate it →
Julia Lathrop Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
357 students17:1Rate it →
Haskell Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C+
301 students15:1Rate it →
The path, start to finish
K–524 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressD− to B−
6–89 middle schoolsDepends on your addressD− to A+
9–125 high schoolsDepends on your addressD to B

Rockford’s public schools are run by Rockford School District 205, which also serves Cherry Valley, Cherry Valley, Harlem and Loves Park and others. Parts of Rockford (4% and 2% of its land) are served by Meridian Community Unit School District 223 and Winnebago Community Unit School District 323 instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Rockford School District 205Grades PK–12 · 44 schools · 28,467 students, up 6% since 2020–21 · 17.4 per teacher (IL 13.6)
$20,357IL $21,567 · FY2024
D
Test scores · 2020–21

Well below the state in reading

Reading16%
State average 29.9% · 12650 students tested
Math12%
State average 25.8% · 10227 students tested
A note on the data.In FY2024, 24% of the Rockford district’s revenue came from the federal government, against 10% across Illinois, in the last year of federal pandemic relief; spending per student is reported as published.

Rockford vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Illinois towns that share Rockford’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
RockfordDRockford School District 205
Loves ParkDHarlem Unit School District 122 PK–12 · Rockford School District 205 PK–12
New Milford—Rockford School District 205
OwenDRockton School District 140 PK–8 · Rockford School District 205 PK–12 · Hononegah Community High School District 207 9–12
Machesney ParkDHarlem Unit School District 122 PK–12 · Rockford School District 205 PK–12 · Hononegah Community High School District 207 9–12
HarlemDHarlem Unit School District 122 PK–12 · Rockford School District 205 PK–12 · Hononegah Community High School District 207 9–12
Cherry ValleyDRockford School District 205
Rockford Township—Rockford School District 205

All 7 neighbors share Rockford School District 205 with Rockford, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.

Every school in Rockford

36 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Illinois’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

Also serving Rockfordin other towns
Montessori Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–8
C+
660 students17:1Rate it →
Whitehead Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D
678 students18:1Rate it →
Cherry Valley Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C+
676 students17:1Rate it →
Barbour Two-Way Lang Immersion
Elementary · Grades K–8
D
628 students19:1Rate it →
Constance Lane Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
623 students16:1Rate it →
Swan Hillman Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
581 students17:1Rate it →
Riverdahl Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
535 students17:1Rate it →
Spring Creek Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C+
523 students16:1Rate it →
Washington Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D
523 students18:1Rate it →
West View Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
521 students21:1Rate it →
Rolling Green
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
505 students13:1Rate it →
Brookview Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
B−
484 students17:1Rate it →
R K Welsh Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D
483 students19:1Rate it →
Ellis Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
457 students13:1Rate it →
Arthur Froberg Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C
426 students16:1Rate it →
C Henry Bloom Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
426 students18:1Rate it →
Maud E Johnson Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C−
425 students15:1Rate it →
Gregory Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C
418 students17:1Rate it →
McIntosh Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
398 students17:1Rate it →
Clifford P Carlson Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C
390 students18:1Rate it →
Lewis Lemon Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
378 students16:1Rate it →
Conklin Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–6
D−
372 students15:1Rate it →
Julia Lathrop Elem School
Elementary · Grades K–5
D−
357 students17:1Rate it →
Haskell Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–5
C+
301 students15:1Rate it →
Thurgood Marshall School
Middle · Grades 5–8
A+
514 students18:1Rate it →
Rockford Envrnmntl Science Acad
Middle · Grades 6–8
D
1,108 students19:1Rate it →
Eisenhower Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8
C
963 students17:1Rate it →
Bernard W Flinn Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8
D
807 students16:1Rate it →
West Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8
D
793 students17:1Rate it →
Abraham Lincoln Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8
D
736 students17:1Rate it →
Kennedy Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8
D−
393 students13:1Rate it →
Guilford High School
High · Grades 9–12
B−
2,216 students20:1Rate it →
Jefferson High School
High · Grades 9–12
D
2,173 students20:1Rate it →
Auburn High School
High · Grades 9–12
B
1,957 students19:1Rate it →
Rockford East High School
High · Grades 9–12
C−
1,719 students16:1Rate it →
Roosevelt Center
High · Grades 9–12
D
60 students1:1Rate it →

Questions about Rockford’s schools

Are Rockford’s schools good?

On Illinois’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Rockford children attend score below 95% of Illinois’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D Schools grade, #750 of 768 Illinois towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 3%. Tests are from 2020–21, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Rockford in?

Rockford School District 205, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 28,467 students in 44 schools (2024–25). Small parts of Rockford are served by Meridian Community Unit School District 223 and Winnebago Community Unit School District 323.

Where do Rockford kids go to high school?

One of 5 high schools, depending on your address: Guilford High School, Jefferson High School, Auburn High School, Rockford East High School and Roosevelt Center.

What is Rockford’s graduation rate?

69% of the class of 2023 in Rockford School District 205 graduated in four years, against 88% across Illinois.

How much does Rockford spend per student?

$20,357 in Rockford School District 205 (FY2024), against $21,567 across Illinois. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Rockford families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Rockford → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2020–21, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Illinois. Stars are from neighbors.