Carpenter Elementary leads Park Ridge in U.S. News rankings

George B. Carpenter Elementary School earned the highest ranking among Park Ridge schools in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary Schools list, placing No. 44 out of 1,360 ranked Illinois elementary schools with an overall score of 96.84 out of 100.

The rankings, released Tuesday, Oct. 20, evaluated schools on student performance in math and reading along with demographic context.

Carpenter, at 300 N. Hamlin Ave., posted 71% math proficiency and 76% reading proficiency among its 435 students. Both figures topped the District 64 averages of 58% in math and 64% in reading. U.S. News rated Carpenter's math and reading performance as "well above expectations."

All 36 of the school's full-time teachers are certified. The 12-to-1 student-teacher ratio matched the district average.

Four other District 64 elementary schools also received statewide rankings. Eugene Field Elementary came in at No. 264 with a score of 80.65. Franklin Elementary ranked No. 287 (78.96), George Washington Elementary ranked No. 293 (78.51) and Theodore Roosevelt Elementary ranked No. 471 (65.34).

The U.S. News results track with the district's own performance data. At a Nov. 13, 2025, board meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Dr. Samantha Alaimo presented the 2024-25 Illinois School Report Card and reported that Field, Franklin and Lincoln had earned "Exemplary" designations, placing them in the top 10% of schools statewide. Carpenter, Roosevelt and Washington earned "Commendable" designations, meaning no underperforming subgroups.

"We have three schools that fall into the exemplary category, which we have never had in my 10 years here in District 64, and Roosevelt was only one point away from meeting Exemplary," Dr. Alaimo said at the meeting.

At a May 21 board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins reported that 68% of District 64 students met their MAP growth targets in math and 66% in reading, according to district records. Both surpassed the district's 60% goal.

No ranked K-5 elementary schools in Niles appeared in the U.S. News data reviewed for this article.

Illinois' top 10 elementary schools (2027 U.S. News)