The Archdiocese of Chicago announced that seven schools in the archdiocese Catholic school system – St. Andrew School (Chicago), St. Clement School (Chicago), St. Francis Xavier School (La Grange), St. James School (Arlington Heights), St. John of the Cross School (Western Springs), St. Paul of the Cross School (Park Ridge), and School of St. Mary (Lake Forest) – have been recognized this year by the U.S. Department of Education with Blue Ribbon Awards. The National Blue Ribbon Award is presented to schools based on a school’s overall academic excellence or the school’s progress in closing student achievement gaps. In addition, Woodlands Academy (Lake Forest), an independent Catholic school was recognized with a 2020 National Blue Ribbon. Catholic schools in the archdiocese have received 117 Blue Ribbon Awards. All seven schools were recognized under the category of “Exemplary High Performing Schools,” meaning the schools are among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. To learn more about the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools, visit: schools.archchicago.org.