A new federal program would provide donor funds to school children in Illinois. But the governor must allow it.

Last year, 43% of Chicago Public Schools teachers missed 10 or more school days. Statewide, it was 34%.

New Illinois State Board of Education data shows low-income and minority public school students are struggling, scoring well below average.

Chicago Public Schools students struggle in reading and math as just 2-in-5 read at grade level and about 1-in-4 do math proficiently. And that’s after Illinois lowered proficiency standards to make the numbers look better.

Newly released data from state assessments show just half of Illinois public school students could read at grade level and 2-in-5 could do math proficiently in 2025. That’s after the state lowered proficiency standards to make the numbers look better.

Low student proficiency is being hidden in Illinois. Virginia raised its expectations for students.