Skip Nav
Back to the main map Illinois State Flag

Illinois
640,462 high school students

State Profile
As states work to raise their academic standards, several national high school reform initiatives are assisting them in their efforts to strengthen their high schools so that they provide students with a 21st century education and skills.

Through the profile provided here, the National High School Center offers (a) a snapshot of the state’s graduation requirements and college entrance requirements (see table below) and (b) summaries of national reform initiatives active in the state (see list below table).

High School and College Alignment in the State
The following table shows the state’s alignment between high school graduation requirements and minimum state college entrance requirements, providing a quick source for determining whether there is a gap between what students must know to graduate and what they are expected to have mastered in order to enter college.

High School Graduation Requirements College Admission Requirements*

English Units

4
 including (2) writing-intensive

4

Mathematics Units

3

3

 

Algebra I (1) and Geometry (1)

Algebra I and above

Social Studies Units

2

2

 

U.S. History (1)

Science Units

2

2
   

Natural science w/ labs

Foreign Language Units

1

2, same language

 

-OR-

Art Units

1

2

 

-OR-

Additional Units

1 Vocational

Electives - 2

Total Units

16.75

  

Tests

N/S

SAT or ACT

Source

Illinois State Board of Education

Illinois State University

* Illinois does not have statewide minimum admission requirements for its public universities and colleges. These admission requirements are for Illinois State University.

National High School Improvement Initiatives at Work in the State
As states work to ready high school students for postsecondary success, many are partnering with national organizations to undertake high school improvement efforts. The following list includes national improvement initiatives at work in the state. National initiatives are defined as significant programs, projects, technical assistance, or key information clearinghouses dedicated to high school improvement. For information about and related to research on these initiatives, please click on the name of the initiative to link to a synthesis:


Illinois State High School Improvement Initiatives
For information on high school improvement initiatives launched at the state level visit Illinois’s Information for High Schools Web page.

Illinois ARRA Information
For information on Illinois's ARRA efforts as it relates to education, please visit the state Web page.