Illinois' annual report card is mixed, Pritzker weighs in

CHICAGO - Did Illinois make the grade? The state's annual report card shows both positive and negative signs.

Illinois' annual school report card is out, with the highest graduation rate in twelve years.

This year marks the first complete Illinois Report Card since 2019, showing student growth in English, language arts and math.

However, it wasn't all good news.

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The state Board of Education reports that chronic absenteeism continues to be an issue.

Thirty percent of students were chronically absent last year, missing 10 percent or more of the school year.

Governor JB Pritzker spoke in Berwyn Thursday about those findings.

"Illinois students scored above the national average in both reading and math in grades 4 and grade 8. While students around the nation experienced setbacks because of the pandemic, Illinois students held steady in their reading skills. This is yet another indication that Illinois is on the right path to learning renewal post pandemic," Pritzker said.

The report card also grades the state's teacher workforce, showing an increase of minority teachers and a nine-year-high educator retention rate.