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Urbana School District 116

Stronger Together. Leading for the Future.

October 30, 2026

Urbana School District Shows Growth Across All Student Groups

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Data released Friday through the 2026 Illinois Report Card highlights several areas, but most notably the academic growth among Urbana students in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math across student groups.

The 2026 Illinois Report Card offers a detailed look at student outcomes, school performance, and opportunities for continued growth. Beginning this year, Illinois schools are evaluated using Profiles of Performance, a redesigned accountability system that establishes clear expectations and provides a more comprehensive picture of school success.

“The Illinois Report Card gives us an opportunity to reflect on our progress toward the goals in our Strategic Plan while identifying areas where we still need to improve,” said USD116 Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Ivory-Tatum. “Academic success is not measured by test scores alone. It also means preparing students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to succeed in college, careers, and life. While challenges remain, these results show that our students are making progress and that we are moving in the right direction. Most importantly, this progress reflects the hard work of our students, educators, staff, families, and school community.”

Highlights From the 2026 Illinois Report Card

Urbana School District showed several positive outcomes during the 2025–26 school year, including:

  • The achievement gap between our low-income and non-low-income students decreased by 10.8%.  (Strategic Plan Goal One)
  • Student growth rates showed improvement across all student groups in ELA and Math in grades 3–11.  (Strategic Plan Goal One, Goal Three, Goal Four)
  • ELA proficiency increased across all student groups, including our priority groups: Black students, Hispanic students, students with IEPs, and English learners. Black and Hispanic students showed the greatest improvement, with increases of 5.7% and 4.5%, respectively.  (Strategic Plan Goal One, Goal Three, Goal Four)
  • Regular attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success, and we see encouraging outcomes among students who attend school consistently. (Strategic Plan Goal Three)
  • More students are participating in advanced coursework and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. As student interest in career-focused learning continues to grow, we are expanding opportunities across grades 6–12 to help prepare students for college, careers, and the trades. This growing interest is also helping drive our plans for a new Career and Technical Education Center. Design work with our architects is already underway, with groundbreaking anticipated in spring 2027. This new center will provide even more opportunities for students to explore career pathways and develop valuable skills for their futures.  (Strategic Plan Goal Five)

While our overall four-year graduation rate remained at 80%, several priority student groups showed encouraging improvements. Urbana High School’s graduation rate increased by 4% for Black students, 1% for low-income students, and 3.5% for students with IEPs, reinforcing our goal that every Urbana student graduates and reaches their highest potential, ready for success after high school.

Although we had hoped to see an increase in the overall graduation rate, we remain focused on improving outcomes for all students. The District continues to expand academic interventions, student supports, and college and career readiness opportunities, particularly for students in ninth and tenth grades. These efforts are intended to help more students stay engaged, remain on track, and graduate within four years.

Understanding the New Profiles of Performance

Beginning with the 2026 Illinois Report Card, Illinois replaced its previous accountability designations with a new framework called Profiles of Performance.

The Profiles of Performance were created in response to stakeholder feedback calling for clearer expectations, more actionable information, and a stronger focus on continuous improvement. Rather than primarily comparing schools to one another, schools are now evaluated against clearly defined statewide performance criteria and multiple pathways to success.

Schools are assigned one of five profile levels: Exemplary, Approaching Exemplary, Commendable, Developing, or Comprehensive.

Of the eight Urbana schools receiving a 2026 designation, the results are:

  • 4 Commendable schools
  • 3 Developing schools
  • 1 Comprehensive school

Profiles of Performance recognize both strengths and opportunities for growth and are intended to support continuous improvement at every school. The system also continues to examine outcomes for student groups to help ensure we are supporting ALL students effectively.

Consistent Attendance Supports Student Success

This year's Illinois Report Card has a greater emphasis on consistent attendance, with attendance data presented in positive terms. The state will continue to report chronic absenteeism as required, and the underlying measure has not changed. However, moving forward, we will be focusing on “Consistent Attendance” measures. Consistent attendance means students attend at least 90% of their enrolled school days.

Regular attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success, high school graduation, and long-term student outcomes. When we look specifically at students who attend school consistently, we see encouraging academic outcomes. Among these students, 71% performed at or approaching proficiency in ELA on the IAR, while 50% performed at or approaching proficiency in Math. At the high school level, 79% of students who attended consistently performed at or approaching proficiency in English Language Arts on the ACT, compared with 63% in Math.

Increasing student attendance is a key priority in the District's five-year Strategic Plan. Our schools continue to emphasize the importance of regular attendance while meeting families where they are. Through initiatives such as Family Neighborhood Nights, we strive to strengthen connections with families and encourage their active involvement in their students' educational journeys. By highlighting the positive outcomes associated with consistent attendance, we hope to reinforce the importance of students being present, engaged, and connected to learning.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

During the 2026–27 school year, the District will continue focusing on four key priorities:

  • Math Achievement and Growth
  • English Language Arts Achievement and Growth
  • Consistent Student Attendance
  • Four-Year Graduation Rate

Our investments in teaching and learning are making a difference, and we are encouraged by the academic growth our students are demonstrating, no matter how modest the gains might be. Improving achievement in English Language Arts and Math will remain priorities in our Strategic Plan and school improvement goals. We will also continue working with families to strengthen consistent attendance, because being in school every day matters.

We are excited about the continued growth of our advanced coursework, dual credit opportunities, and Career and Technical Education programs. We are seeing progress among student groups in graduation outcomes, but we recognize that more students need to graduate within four years.

“We have much to celebrate, but there is still important work ahead. We will continue building on our progress, addressing areas where students need additional support, and working together to ensure that ALL students have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed”, said Superintendent Ivory-Tatum.

The 2026 Illinois Report Card provides a snapshot of school performance data from the 2025–26 school year. Families, educators, and community members can view the full 2026 Illinois Report Card and learn more about Illinois' new Profiles of Performance on the Illinois School Report Card website.