Byron School District 226 is proud to announce that our district has recently earned high rankings from two separate websites that specialize in analyzing multiple sources of data to give community members a true snapshot of their district as a whole. According to Niche.com, a website that both ranks and grades schools based on factors such as teachers, academics, health and safety, etc., Byron was ranked #1 in the Rockford area, #33 out of all Illinois districts, and received an A grade overall. Niche.com calculates their rankings in a reliable, scientific manner that consists of “data scientists and user researchers rigorously analyze data and user opinions to assess the key aspects of K-12 schools…” In addition, Backgroundchecks.org rated our district #21 in their list of the top 25 “best public schools in the Land of Lincoln.” This website used the following factors to determine their placements:  number of students, graduation rate, teacher quality, student funding, student to teacher ratio, and standardized testing scores. This positive recognition is not only a success for the district in the academic and standardized testing arenas, but also supports the district’s continuing mission to supply our students with outstanding educators and staff, as well safe environments where the focus is on learning. We encourage everyone to take a look at the websites to find additional ranking information, as well as check out more about how the data is analyzed. We look forward to seeing our students very soon. Enjoy the last days of summer vacation!