Do you research school records? I’m not talking about yearbooks. Those can be found on the Yearbooks Page. I’m talking about actual school records, such as enrollment, attendance, and grade reports for example. These are interesting source documents because they might record the student’s age, birth date and location, and possibly their parents’ names. All great ways to find this information if you haven’t found them in other documents about your target ancestor. Besides, finding out your grandmother’s grades would be interesting!
The record collection links, listed below, feature school records from the state, and list collections of records that are available for free online.
If you wish to get educated with some basic information regarding what is available and how to navigate your research for school records, you can read these summaries:
- 5 Quick Tips to Get the Most Out of Education Records
- Top 10 Strategies for Finding School Records for Genealogy
- Getting Started With School Records for Genealogy Research
So, what types of records related to schools are maintained and often available?
- School Census
- School Catalogs
- Teacher’s Registers
- Attendance Records
- Report Cards
- Class Logs
- Teacher Rosters
- School Board Meetings/Reports
- Academic Team and Class Photos
- Local Newspaper Articles:
- Graduation Lists
- School Activities
- School Sports
- Student Newspapers
- Alumni Directories and Publications
- Yearbooks
- Yearbook Indexes
And, what types of information can you derive from these school records?
- Name (often includes a middle name which is useful).
- Age
- Physical Characteristics – color/race, disability.
- Birth Date
- Current Residence Address
- Name of Father
- Name of Mother
- Occupations of parents
- Grades
- Classes Taken
- Activities (from Photos)
- Date left school (can help with family residence relocation)
Below is a list of links to free online school record collections for the state;
Note: Some of the links go to sites with not much information and some go to sites with an extensive set of records.
Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
(Updated August 2021)
- Adams County School Account Records, 1842-1853
- Adams County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Adams County, School Commissioners’ Account Book, 1842-1873
- Aurora Public Schools, East Side, Directory
- Calhoun County, School Records, 26 Jan. 1932-9 June 1934
- Carroll County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Carroll County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Champaign County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Clark County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Coles County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Cook County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Cook County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Cumberland County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- DeWitt County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Douglas County, Directory of School officers and Teachers
- Early Peoria, The Schools and the Teachers
- Edwards County, Miscellaneous School Records, 1865, 1873-1875, 1878-1880, 1883 and 1888
- Effingham County School History, Centennial 1918
- Ellington Township School Records & Minutes, 1841-1937
- Evanston Village High School, Graduates
- Franklin County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Hamilton County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Hardin County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Illinois College : a Centennial History, 1829-1929
- Illinois High School Glory Days
- Illinois State Normal University, A History
- Illinois State Normal University, Semi-centennial history 1857-1907
- Iroquois County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Jasper County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Jefferson County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Jersey County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Jersey County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Jo Daviess County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Jo Daviess County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Kane County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Knox College, A Story, Seventy-five significant years, 1837-1912
- Logan County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Macon County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Macon County, Alumna of Blue Mound High School 1928-1946
- Macon County, Alumni of Blue Mound Community High School 1898-1927
- Macoupin County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Madison County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Maroa High School Students, 1909
- Menard County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Monroe County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Montgomery County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Naperville, North Central College : a Century of Liberal Education, 1861-1961
- Northwestern University Alumni Mailing List, 1909
- Northwestern University Alumni Record of the College of Liberal Arts 1903
- Ogle County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Perry County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Phillips Township, Remembering Poplar Ridge School and Some it Served (1858-1948)
- Pike County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Pope County, Glendale School Records
- Pulaski County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Richland County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- River Grove, Rhodes School Alumni
- Saline County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Sangamon County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- St. Clair County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Stephenson County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Tazewell County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- University of Illinois Alumni 1898
- University of Illinois Alumni Record, technological, scientific, agricultural, literary, library, and law departments, 1872-1903
- University of Illinois at Urbana, The Alumni Record
- University of Illinois Directory for 1929 : including the names of all students who have attended the Urbana departments
- University of Illinois The Alumni Record
- University of Illinois, Chicago Departments, Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Pharmacy, The Alumni Record
- University of Illinois, State Library School, Report and student record, 1893-1903
- Vandalia, Directory of School officers and teachers,1946-47
- Wayne County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Whiteside County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Woodford County, School Records and Photos
For other Free Illinois Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Yearbooks
Births
Marriages
Deaths
BMD Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
Church Records
Coroner Records
Criminal Records
Directories
Divorce Records
Immigration Records
Military Records
Mortuary Records
Naturalizations
Obituaries
Photos
Probate and Wills
School Records
Tax Records
Voter Records