Gov. JB Pritzker announced Friday that Illinois is initiating a state-level version of the recently canceled federal Blue Ribbon Schools Program, naming 28 recipients of the award.

“Especially at this moment when a quality education is more important than ever for our people, for our country, we simply cannot abandon our pursuit of academic excellence,” Pritzker said. “Our commitment to education determines the strength of our communities, the stability of our democracy and the health of our economy.”

The announcement was made at Glen Oaks Elementary in Hickory Hills, one of the 28 schools to receive the inaugural Governor’s Blue Ribbon award. The list consists of 15 public schools and 13 private schools from across the state, and includes both elementary and high schools.

The one oth

See Full Page