State selects McKenzie Elementary as a Governor’s Blue Ribbon School

McKenzie Elementary School in Wilmette was one of 24 selections for the 2026 Governor’s Blue Ribbon School program, the state announced in October.

The Illinois State Board of Education and governor’s office formed the program in 2025 following the Trump administration’s cancelation of the National Blue Ribbon Program. 

McKenzie Elementary was the only Wilmette school recognized this year; though, Regina Dominican High School was selected in 2025 and Evanston’s Dawes Elementary was a pick this year.

McKenzie Elementary is one of six schools in Wilmette Public Schools District 39 and enrolls approximately 415 students in grades K-4. 

“We are incredibly proud of all of our students, faculty, and staff for their hard work and excellence,” said Dr. Kari Cremascoli, superintendent of Wilmette District 39, in a statement. “Our McKenzie staff work diligently to ensure the academic excellence and growth of their students and to prepare them to lead academically successful, socially responsible, compassionate, and purposeful lives. 

“At McKenzie and throughout D39, we work to ensure a differentiated education that provides a rigorous academic foundation and opportunities for advanced learning to ensure all students are appropriately challenged and growing. It is wonderful to see McKenzie honored for their work!”

The National Blue Ribbon program began more than 40 years ago and recognized “overall high academic achievement” in schools throughout the country.

The Trump administration axed the program in 2025, and Illinois created a local program that “carries forward a longstanding 40 year tradition of honoring schools based on exemplary student achievement and improvements and serves as an annual opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of principals, teachers, support staff, and students setting a new standard of excellence.”

In the now-defunct national program, local schools were regulars on the annual list of awardees (around 300 schools nationwide). New Trier High School won in 1990 and 2009; Sacred Heart School (Winnetka) in 2018; The Skokie School (Winnetka) in 2013; St. Joseph (Wilmette) in 2017; St. Francis Xavier (Wilmette) in 2012 and 2018; Romona Elementary (Wilmette) in 2006, 2017 and 2023; and Faith Hope and Charity (Winnetka) in 2014 and 2023. Regina Dominican won the award in 2025 just before the program was canceled.

“We are truly honored to have earned the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Award this year!” said McKenzie Principal Dana Nasiakos in a statement. “This award is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families and is an illustration of what we can achieve when we work together towards the common goal of helping our students learn and grow.” 

According to reporting from Chalkbeat, a nonprofit newsroom that covers education, federal officials told state education officials in 2025 that they had canceled the program in an effort to reduce federal spending on education.

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