Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the state education board joined school leaders, teachers, and students Friday to launch the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools program and celebrate the 2025 recipients of the discontinued National Blue Ribbon School Award.

Twenty-eight schools from across Illinois — including several suburban public and private schools — received the 2025 designation for demonstrating exemplary academic performance.

On Aug. 29, the U.S. Department of Education announced it is discontinuing the National Blue Ribbon Award program, an annual recognition of academic excellence in public and private schools since 1982. The 2025 recipients from Illinois already had been selected before the federal program was axed. But awardees were told there would be no public recognition of their achievements this year. That prompted the establishment of Illinois’ new statewide recognition.

“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 — that’s why we are proud to honor 28 Illinois schools as part of the new Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools Program,” Pritzker said in a news release. “Illinois will always strive to give our students and schools the tools and support they need to succeed. Nothing is more important than our children, and education is the foundation of strong communities, the stability of our democracy, and the health of our economy.”

School performance, graduation rates, and proficiency in key subjects continue to improve statewide, according to the Illinois School Report Card. And Illinois now ranks third in the nation for education, according to the release.

The Illinois State Board of Education will manage the Blue Ribbon Schools application process going forward.

Illinois establishes Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools program