Title ranking · 2017–2026
Ranked by championship titles · 40 schools · 167 titles · data 2018–2025
The top football school in Illinois for 2017–2026 is Mount Carmel with 13 championship titles. Not a power ranking or scholarship guarantee.
Families searching for the best football high schools in Illinois usually want one clear answer: who actually wins championships? Below we rank programs by place-1 titles in our sourced data for 2017–2026.
The top football school in Illinois for 2017–2026 is Mount Carmel with 13 championship titles. The full table lists every school with enough verified titles in this window — public, private, and prep programs when the association published a champion.
The top football school in Illinois for 2017–2026 is Mount Carmel with 13 championship titles.
| Rank | School | Titles | Years | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Carmel · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 13 | 2018–2025 | 8 yrs |
| 2 | Joliet Catholic · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 12 | 2019–2025 | 7 yrs |
| 3 | Loyola Academy · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 12 | 2018–2024 | 7 yrs |
| 4 | St. Rita · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 10 | 2019–2024 | 6 yrs |
| 5 | Marian Catholic · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 8 | 2019–2025 | 7 yrs |
| 6 | Montini Catholic · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 8 | 2019–2025 | 7 yrs |
| 7 | Saint Patrick · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 8 | 2019–2025 | 7 yrs |
| 8 | Fenwick · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 6 | 2021–2025 | 5 yrs |
| 9 | Nazareth Academy · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 6 | 2019–2025 | 7 yrs |
| 10 | Saint Viator · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 6 | 2019–2022 | 4 yrs |
| 11 | Chicago (Mt. Carmel) · IL | 5 | 2019–2025 | 7 yrs |
| 12 | St. Francis · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 5 | 2023–2025 | 3 yrs |
| 13 | Lena (L.-Winslow) · IL | 4 | 2019–2025 | 7 yrs |
| 14 | LaGrange Park · IL | 4 | 2018–2024 | 7 yrs |
| 15 | Wilmette · IL | 4 | 2018–2024 | 7 yrs |
| 16 | Carmel Catholic · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 4 | 2022–2023 | 2 yrs |
| 17 | Saint Ignatius · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 4 | 2022–2023 | 2 yrs |
| 18 | Brother Rice · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 3 | 2018–2025 | 8 yrs |
| 19 | Byron · IL | 3 | 2021–2025 | 5 yrs |
| 20 | Wilmington · IL | 3 | 2021–2025 | 5 yrs |
| 21 | DePaul Prep · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 3 | 2022–2024 | 3 yrs |
| 22 | East St. Louis (Sr.) · IL | 3 | 2019–2024 | 6 yrs |
| 23 | Cary (C.-Grove) · IL | 3 | 2018–2023 | 6 yrs |
| 24 | Lombard (Montini) · IL | 2 | 2024–2025 | 2 yrs |
| 25 | Oak Park (Fenwick) · IL | 2 | 2021–2025 | 5 yrs |
| 26 | Benet Academy · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2024 | 1 yr |
| 27 | Marmion Academy · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2024 | 1 yr |
| 28 | IC Catholic · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2023 | 1 yr |
| 29 | Providence Catholic · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2023 | 1 yr |
| 30 | Rochester · IL | 2 | 2019–2023 | 5 yrs |
| 31 | St. Laurence · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2023 | 1 yr |
| 32 | Elmhurst (IC Catholic) · IL | 2 | 2018–2022 | 5 yrs |
| 33 | Joliet · IL | 2 | 2018–2021 | 4 yrs |
| 34 | Marian Central Catholic · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2021 | 1 yr |
| 35 | Notre Dame · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2019 | 1 yr |
| 36 | Hope Academy · ILprivate(Chicago Catholic League) | 2 | 2018 | 1 yr |
| 37 | Chicago · IL | 1 | 2025 | 1 yr |
| 38 | Wheaton (St. Francis) · IL | 1 | 2025 | 1 yr |
| 39 | Belleville · IL | 1 | 2024 | 1 yr |
| 40 | Chicago (DePaul College Prep) · IL | 1 | 2024 | 1 yr |
Ranked by place-1 championship titles in Football Illinois (2017–2026) in our sourced dataset — not a power ranking or recruiting list.
Ranking method: count place-1 rows in hs_championship_results for football in Illinois with season years in 2017–2026. Private and public programs share the list when both have sourced titles. We do not weight division size or invent cancelled seasons. Compare with association sites for the current year.
The top football school in Illinois for 2017–2026 is Mount Carmel with 13 championship titles.
Schools are ordered by place-1 championship titles in our sourced dataset for Illinois football during 2017–2026. Divisions are counted when the association crowned a champion. This is not a power ranking or poll.
Not automatically. NCAA athletic scholarships are rare and mostly partial. Title history signals a competitive environment; coaches still evaluate film, academics, and roster need.
Open the Illinois Football championship page for chronological results with source links, or filter the HS Sports hub by year.
Data sources: Illinois high school athletic association · Private leagues when published · Source URL on every underlying championship row. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.