HICKORY HILLS, Ill. (WAND) - Governor JB Pritzker joined educators, students, and school leaders on Friday at Glen Oaks Elementary School in North Palos District 117 to officially launch the Illinois Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools program.
This year’s recipients include 15 public schools and 13 private schools across the state, recognized for outstanding academic performance, student support, and community engagement. Each will be honored at a special recognition ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield this spring.
The new state-level recognition program was created in response to the sudden cancellation of the federal National Blue Ribbon Schools Program by the Trump Administration earlier this year—just weeks before winners were scheduled to be announced.
“At a moment when quality education is more important than ever, we will never abandon our pursuit of academic excellence or recognition of the teachers and students doing the hard work every day,” said Governor Pritzker. “Illinois will always strive to give our students and schools the tools and support they need to succeed.”
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) will now oversee the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools Program, ensuring schools across the state continue to be recognized for their excellence well into the future.
The following schools are this years Blue Ribbon Schools Program recipients:
Public Schools
Sunset Ridge Elementary School, Northfield
William Fremd High School, Palatine
Highlands Elementary School, La Grange
Pleasantdale Middle School, Burr Ridge
Lyons Township High School, La Grange
Glen Oaks Elementary School, Hickory Hills
Warren Elementary School, Warren
Prescott Elementary School, Chicago
Clarendon Hills Middle School, Clarendon Hills
Walker Elementary School, Clarendon Hills
Kennedy Junior High School, Lisle
Liberty Intermediate School, Libertyville
Sarah Adams Elementary School, Lake Zurich
Mascoutah Middle School, Mascoutah
Lincoln-Way East High School, Frankfort
Private Schools
Ascension Catholic School, Oak Park
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy, Chicago
Regina Dominican High School, Wilmette
St. Giles School, Oak Park
St. Matthias School, Chicago
St. Therese Chinese Catholic School, Chicago
St. John of the Cross Parish School, Western Springs
St. Norbert School, Northbrook
St. Anne Catholic School, Barrington
The Academy of Saint Joan of Arc, Evanston
Timothy Christian School (PreK–8), Elmhurst
Wheaton Academy, West Chicago
Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest
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