Evergreen Park Community High School Designated 'Exemplary' School By State

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Evergreen Park Community High School has been designated an exemplary school by the Illinois State Board of Education. The ISBE informed EPCHS of the designation when the official 2026 Profiles of Performance were released in late October. This designation is now officially noted on the Illinois Report Card.

Exemplary is the highest of five performance levels schools can earn on the Illinois Report Card, with the next being approaching exemplary, then commendable, developing and comprehensive. This is the first time EPCHS has reached the exemplary level, having been at the commendable level in recent years.

“Earning an Exemplary designation on the Illinois State Board of Education Report Card is a historic milestone for Evergreen Park Community High School, and it is a direct reflection of the incredible culture we have built together,” EPCHS Superintendent Thomas O’Malley said. “This has been an ongoing district goal that has been achieved by our dedicated students and is a direct reflection of our amazing teachers and staff! This demonstrates our school's commitment, effort and true Mustang pride that went into earning this elite recognition.”

Schools are given their designation based on a number of factors, including composite proficiency, composite growth, English learner progress (all core indicators) in addition to consistent attendance and climate survey participation (both elevating indicators). EPCHS is especially pleased to share that student growth as a whole exceeded expectations this past year.

This year, Illinois introduced a new accountability system called a Profile of Performance that sets clear performance expectations, recognizes strengths and challenges, and provides information schools can use for continuous improvement.

A Profile of Performance is a set of connected signals about how a school is serving its students. Each school profile brings together three parts: core indicators, which describe important academic outcomes; elevating indicators, which recognize additional strengths that support student success and student group performance, which helps ensure success is shared across groups of students.

These results reflect EPCHS's ongoing focus on continuous improvement and student achievement. District leaders believe the results demonstrate the impact of sustained efforts to support student success while providing valuable insight into areas that will remain priorities moving forward.

The 2026 Illinois Report Card provides a snapshot of school performance data from the 2025-2026 school year. Families, educators and community members can view EPCHS’ 2026 Illinois Report Card and learn more about Illinois' new Profiles of Performance at IllinoisReportCard.com.