Huntley 158 celebrates top rankings and academic gains on the 2026 Illinois Report Card

As the Illinois State Board of Education releases the 2025-26 Illinois Report Card, Huntley Unit District 158 celebrates student success and academic achievement as well as top rankings in state summative designations.

The Illinois Report Card is an annual accountability report for the public that provides a snapshot of how Illinois schools and school districts are performing across a number of categories, including academic achievement and growth, graduation, college and career readiness, and student attendance. You can find Huntley 158’s annual report card on the district’s website.

During the 2025-26 school year, Illinois schools were evaluated using ISBE’s Profiles of Performance, a redesigned accountability system to provide a more comprehensive picture of school success using core indicators (student growth, proficiency and graduation rate) and elevating indicators (school culture and climate, EL student progress, and attendance).

Schools are assigned one of five profile levels: Exemplary, Approaching Exemplary, Commendable, Developing, or Comprehensive. Huntley 158 is proud to celebrate the following designations for our schools:

4 Exemplary (Huntley High School and Conley, Leggee and Martin elementary schools)

3 Approaching Exemplary (Mackeben and Chesak elementary schools and Marlowe Middle School)

1 Commendable (Heineman Middle School)

Note: The district's LIGHT transition and early childhood programs are not assigned state summative designations; however, the district’s Early Childhood Center earned the Gold Circle of Quality recognition in 2026 and in previous years through ExceleRate Illinois.

“We are incredibly proud to see more of our schools earn Exemplary status this year, reflecting the dedication of our students, the exceptional work of our educators and staff, and the strong support of our families,” said Superintendent Jessica Lombard.

“These results are a testament to our collective commitment to providing high-quality educational experiences that help every student learn, grow and succeed. While we celebrate these achievements, we also recognize that our work is never done. Guided by our Huntley 2030 strategic plan, we remain focused on continuous improvement and ensuring that every student has the opportunities and support they need to reach their full potential.”

2026 Illinois Report Card Highlights

Huntley 158 celebrated several academic achievements and areas of growth during the 2025-26 school year, including:

• Mathematics proficiency: Increased by 1.4 percentage points over the previous year

• Mathematics growth: Increased by 3.6 percentage points on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) compared to the previous year

• English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency: Increased by 2.5 percentage points over the previous year

• ACT performance: Improved average scale scores in mathematics compared to the previous year

• Statewide performance: Continued to widen the gap between district performance and state averages in English language arts, math, and science

• Graduation rate: Huntley High School maintained a strong graduation rate of 94%.

These results reflect the investments the district has made in:

• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): Empowering educators to collaborate on high-quality instruction, analyze performance data, and continuously elevate student learning outcomes.

• Inclusive and rigorous instructional materials: Thoughtfully adopting high-caliber resources tailored to support all students, including English Learners and students with disabilities.

• Strong early literacy foundation: Prioritizing essential K — 3 foundational skills to build a strong road map for lifelong academic achievement.

• Data-driven professional development: Equipping teachers with advanced data literacy skills to effectively track, measure, and enhance student growth and proficiency.

• Research-informed development: Investing in evidence-based professional growth for leaders and staff to drive organizational excellence.

• Supportive and adaptive curricula: Strategic allocation of district resources to design flexible teaching strategies that meet the needs of a diverse student body of learners.

In addition to its impressive achievements in the past year, Huntley 158 is committed to continuous school improvement. In the upcoming school year, educators and administrators will continue to focus on increasing growth and proficiency for all of our learners and, in particular, accelerating progress toward English language proficiency for our multilingual learners, and refining our supports and opportunities for our students with IEPs to achieve their full academic potential.

For more information on the Illinois Report Card, visit the ISBE website.

Curriculum workshop

On Thursday, Nov. 5, the district will host a curriculum workshop to provide an overview of the recently released Illinois Report Card data and to engage in meaningful discussions about student success. District administrators and school leaders will: examine the latest state assessment data to identify trends, areas of celebration, and areas for growth; identify key goals and strategies outlined in School Improvement Plans and their impact on results; and recognize and celebrate areas where students demonstrated significant improvement or consistently strong performance.

The workshop, which is open to all, will be 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the district office, 650 Dr. John Burkey Drive, Algonquin.