On October 1, 2018, national Blue Ribbon Award Schools were announced. Only 24 schools in Illinois won the award, including private schools: about half a percent of all Illinois schools won. Three of these are UIC connected:  Karen Valentine at Edison Regional Gifted Center, Gwendolyn Brooks where Cortez McCoy from Cohort 14 is AP, and Proviso Math Science Academy where Nicole Howard is Proviso School District Assoc. Supt. In addition, Cohort 8 Carise Comstock, who was a resident at S. Loop, won for her school in Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley Charter. All of these are listed below.

Edison Regional Gifted Center 4929 North Sawyer Avenue Chicago, IL 60625‐5008 Phone: (773) 534‐0540 District: City Of Chicago School  299

Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy 250 East 111th Street Chicago, IL 60628‐4324 Phone: (773) 535‐9930 District: City of Chicago School  299

Proviso Math And Science Academy 8601 W. Roosevelt Road Forest Park, IL 60130‐2532 Phone: (708) 338‐4170 District: Proviso Township High Schools  209

Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts 321 East 3rd Street Bethlehem, PA 18015‐1309 Phone: (610) 868‐2971 District: Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts