Illinois School Closings

| | Illinois, United States | No Comments
Illinois School Closings Today — Live Delays & Cancellations
ILLINOIS SCHOOL CLOSINGS
Checking…
Loading status…

Check the latest Illinois school closings, delays, and cancellations today. This page monitors real-time announcements from school districts across Illinois — including Chicago, Rockford, Springfield, Peoria, and Aurora — with updates throughout the day as conditions change. Most Illinois districts aim to post decisions by 5:30 AM, though major blizzards or lake-effect snow events often prompt announcements the night before.

Closures in Illinois are most commonly triggered by lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan, Arctic air outbreaks with dangerous wind chills, blizzard conditions with near-zero visibility, and ice storms that coat roads and bus stops across the state. Superintendents coordinate with the National Weather Service offices in Chicago and Lincoln, the Illinois Department of Transportation's road condition reports, and local Emergency Management Agencies before making final decisions — particularly for multi-county storms that affect rural bus routes differently than urban districts.

Illinois law allows school districts to use up to five Remote Learning Days per school year as emergency days, meaning a closure may be a full cancellation or a day where students complete teacher-assigned work online. Check your district's website or parent portal — most Illinois districts use PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, or Skyward — to confirm whether a closure is a Remote Learning Day or a full cancellation. Families should always verify status directly with their district.

⚠️
🌤 Live Weather
Loading weather…
Quick Tools
🕐
Is my school open?
Real-time status checker
❄️
Snow day predictor
Likelihood of closure tomorrow
🚌
Bus alert checker
Weather alerts for bus routes
❤️
Health dashboard
Illness & outbreak tracker
Today's Daily Updates
Fetching today's Illinois report…
District Status
District Status Source As of
Chicago Public Schools
Cook County — largest district in Illinois, third-largest in the nation
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
Rockford Public Schools District 205
Winnebago County — second-largest city district in Illinois
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
Springfield School District 186
Sangamon County — state capital district, central Illinois
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
Peoria Public Schools District 150
Peoria County — Illinois River corridor, central Illinois
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
Aurora East School District 131
Kane & DuPage Counties — Fox River Valley, western Chicago suburbs
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
Joliet Public Schools District 86
Will County — southwest Chicago metro, one of fastest-growing areas
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
Naperville Community Unit School District 203
DuPage County — western suburb of Chicago, high-enrollment district
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
Champaign Community Unit School District 4
Champaign County — home of the University of Illinois, east-central Illinois
 ✓ Open ⏳ Checking… —
✓ ConfirmedVerified by official district source ≈ PredictedBased on weather model data

⚠️ Always confirm with your school district directly. This page is for reference only.

Understanding Alert Levels
🔴
School Closed
All in-person classes cancelled. May be designated as a Remote Learning Day — students complete work online per Illinois state law.
🟡
Delayed Start
1- or 2-hour late start. Bus pickups shift accordingly. Breakfast is typically not served on delay days.
🟠
Early Dismissal
Students released early, usually when a storm is forecast to intensify during afternoon bus routes.
🟢
Open / Normal
Schools operating on regular schedule. Monitor for updates if weather conditions change during the day.
Where to Find Real-Time Updates
How Decisions Are Made
🌨️
Lake-Effect Snow
Lake Michigan generates intense, localized lake-effect snow bands that can dump 6–12 inches on Chicago's northern suburbs and lakefront communities while the rest of the state sees little accumulation.
🌬️
Arctic Wind Chills
Canada's polar vortex sends Arctic air directly into Illinois with wind chills that can drop to -30°F or lower, making bus stop waits dangerous for students and prompting statewide closures.
🧊
Ice Storms & Freezing Rain
Freezing rain and ice accumulation are especially dangerous on Illinois roads and sidewalks; even a quarter inch of ice can cause closures or 2-hour delays across multiple districts simultaneously.
🌪️
Severe Storms & Tornadoes
Illinois lies within Tornado Alley's northern edge; spring and summer severe weather outbreaks can trigger early dismissals or closures, especially when storm timing overlaps with afternoon bus routes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check the live district status table above for real-time closures. Most Illinois superintendents aim to announce by 5:30 AM. For major blizzards or lake-effect snow events, announcements can come as early as 9–10 PM the night before.
Sign up for email alerts on this page, follow NBC Chicago, ABC 7 Chicago, WCIA 3, or WMBD for live closings lists, and verify your contact information is current in your district's parent portal so robocall and SMS alerts reach you.
Most Illinois superintendents aim to make a final decision by 5:30 AM. For major blizzards or lake-effect snow events affecting northern and central Illinois, many districts announce the night before — sometimes as early as 9–10 PM — to give families time to arrange childcare.
Yes. Illinois law allows school districts to use up to five Remote Learning Days per school year as emergency days, meaning a closure may be a full cancellation or a day where students complete teacher-assigned work online. Check your district's website or parent portal to confirm the day type.
Yes. Lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan can produce intense, localized snowfall totals in Chicago's northern suburbs, the Chicagoland area, and communities near the lakefront. Even when the rest of the state sees little accumulation, northern Illinois districts may close due to 6–12 inch lake-effect bands.
Yes. Illinois districts commonly close or issue 2-hour delays when wind chill values drop below -15°F to -20°F. Chicago and northern Illinois are especially susceptible to Arctic air outbreaks from Canada that can push wind chills to -30°F or lower, making bus stop waits dangerous for students.
Illinois School Closings by City

Chicago School Closings

Chicago Public Schools is the third-largest school district in the nation, serving approximately 325,000 students across more than 600 schools. CPS closure decisions are made by the CEO of Chicago Public Schools and are announced on the CPS website and via the CPS app. ABC 7 Chicago and NBC Chicago are the primary television sources for Chicago-area closings. Lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan and Arctic wind chill events — when temperatures feel as low as -30°F — are the most common reasons Chicago and its northern suburbs close.

Rockford School Closings

Rockford Public Schools District 205 is the second-largest district in Illinois, serving approximately 27,000 students in Winnebago County. The Rockford area is particularly vulnerable to lake-effect snow carried southwest off Lake Michigan, and to blizzards that sweep across the flat northern Illinois landscape with little obstruction. WIFR CBS 23 is the go-to local television source for Rockford and northern Illinois school closings. Neighboring districts including Harlem, Loves Park, and Belvidere typically make closure decisions in line with Rockford given shared road and weather conditions.

Springfield & Peoria School Closings

Springfield School District 186 serves approximately 14,000 students in Illinois's state capital and surrounding Sangamon County. Peoria Public Schools District 150 serves roughly 13,000 students along the Illinois River corridor. Both districts sit in central Illinois, where nor'easter-type systems and Alberta Clipper storms can produce 4–8 inches of snow with strong winds. WMBD News covers the Peoria region and Springfield area extensively. Ice storms are a particular concern in central Illinois, where rain-to-ice transitions can happen rapidly on flat terrain.

Champaign-Urbana School Closings

Champaign Community Unit School District 4 serves approximately 10,000 students in east-central Illinois, home to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. WCIA 3 News is the primary local television source for closings throughout Champaign, Piatt, and surrounding counties. The Champaign-Urbana area sits in a flat agricultural landscape that offers no windbreak from winter storms, making wind chills and blowing snow significant factors in closure decisions. Neighboring districts including Urbana School District 116 and Mahomet-Seymour typically follow similar closure timelines.

Find Illinois School Closings by ZIP Code

Use your ZIP code to identify your district and check closing status faster. Grouped by region. Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) and zipdatamaps.com.

🏙️ Greater Chicago Metro

Chicago Public Schools (District 299)
Serves all city neighborhoods — Loop, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Pilsen, Englewood, Bronzeville, Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, Austin, Rogers Park, Edgewater, South Shore, Beverly, Pullman, and more
60601  60602  60603  60604  60605  60606  60607  60608  60609  60610
60611  60612  60613  60614  60615  60616  60617  60618  60619  60620
60621  60622  60623  60624  60625  60626  60628  60629  60630  60631
60632  60633  60634  60636  60637  60638  60639  60640  60641  60642
60643  60644  60645  60646  60647  60649  60651  60652  60653  60654
60655  60656  60657  60659  60660  60661

Naperville Community Unit School District 203
Naperville, Lisle — western DuPage County / eastern Kane County suburbs
60532  60540  60563  60564  60565

Joliet Public Schools District 86
Joliet (city proper, PreK–8) — southwest Chicago metro, Will County
60431  60432  60433  60435  60436

🦊 Fox River Valley / Aurora Area

Aurora East School District 131
East side of Aurora — Kane County; Fox River Valley, 40 mi west of Chicago
60505  60506

🌲 Northern Illinois / Rockford Area

Rockford Public Schools District 205
Rockford, New Milford, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Roscoe, Argyle — Winnebago & Boone Counties
61008  61011  61016  61020  61052  61073  61101  61102  61103  61104
61107  61108  61109  61111  61112  61114  61115

🌾 Central Illinois

Springfield School District 186
Springfield, Grandview, Leland Grove, Jerome, Southern View — Sangamon County (state capital)
62701  62702  62703  62704  62707

Peoria Public Schools District 150
Peoria — Peoria County; Illinois River corridor, Limestone Township, Richwoods Township
61554  61602  61603  61604  61605  61606  61607  61610  61611
61614  61615  61616  61625

🎓 East-Central Illinois / Champaign-Urbana

Champaign Community Unit School District 4
Champaign — Champaign County; home of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
61820  61821  61822

⚠️ ZIP Code Overlap Warning

Some ZIPs straddle district or county lines and may be partially served by more than one district. Always verify at your district’s school locator tool.

  • 60532 (Lisle) — Falls within both Naperville CUSD 203 and Lisle CUSD 202 boundaries; address verification required.
  • 60506 (Aurora) — Shared between Aurora East SD 131 and West Aurora SD 129 depending on specific street address.
  • 61554 (Pekin) — Primarily Pekin school district; only small portions touch Peoria SD 150 boundaries.
  • 61610 (Creve Coeur) — Served by multiple Tazewell County districts alongside Peoria SD 150 edges.
  • 61115 (Machesney Park) — Partially Rockford SD 205 and partially Harlem SD 122; confirm with address lookup.

🗺️ Notable Bordering-State Districts Frequently Searched Alongside Illinois
  • Hammond, Gary, East Chicago, Munster — Indiana (northwest IN): Share the Chicago metro weather zone; lake-effect closures often mirror Illinois northern suburbs. Search “Indiana school closings” for these.
  • Kenosha Unified SD — Wisconsin (Kenosha, WI): Lake Michigan corridor; frequently affected by same lake-effect snow bands as Waukegan, IL. Search “Wisconsin school closings“.
  • Davenport Community Schools — Iowa (Quad Cities): Mississippi River border communities; shared weather systems with Rock Island & Moline, IL. Search “Iowa school closings“.
  • St. Louis Public Schools / Ritenour SD — Missouri (St. Louis metro): Southern Illinois communities like Belleville and O’Fallon track alongside Missouri districts in winter storms. Search “Missouri school closings“.

All Illinois District ZIP Codes — Index

60431 60432 60433 60435 60436 60505 60506 60532 60540 60563 60564 60565
60601 60602 60603 60604 60605 60606 60607 60608 60609 60610 60611 60612 60613 60614 60615 60616 60617 60618 60619 60620
60621 60622 60623 60624 60625 60626 60628 60629 60630 60631 60632 60633 60634 60636 60637 60638 60639 60640 60641 60642
60643 60644 60645 60646 60647 60649 60651 60652 60653 60654 60655 60656 60657 60659 60660 60661
61008 61011 61016 61020 61052 61073 61101 61102 61103 61104 61107 61108 61109 61111 61112 61114 61115
61554 61602 61603 61604 61605 61606 61607 61610 61611 61614 61615 61616 61625
61820 61821 61822
62701 62702 62703 62704 62707

fb-share-icon
Tweet
Tags:
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

School Closings and Delays for Tomorrow

Check it!
X