Nazareth Academy is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

college-preparatory

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

located in LaGrange Park,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, United States, in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeast Illinois, Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and e ...

. It was founded in 1900 by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Academics

Students take courses at any of three levels: college prep, honors, or Advanced Placement (AP). Nazareth's average ACT score is 25.6. The top quarter of the class of 2016 averaged a score of 31.

Athletics

Nazareth Academy offers 23 interscholastic sports. Nazareth competes in the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association. In support of IHSA policies, Nazareth Academy may not promise or offer athletic scholarships of any kind. Violations may result in loss of eligibility for the student, coach and/or school. The school's teams have finished in the top four of the following IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments or meets. * Baseball: State Champions (2021–22, 2022–23), 2nd place (2014–15), 3rd place (2011–12, 2017–18), 4th place (2010–11) * Football: State Champions (2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25), 2nd place (2017–18, 2019–20) * Softball: 4th place (2016–17) * Basketball (Girls): State Champions (2022–23), 2nd place (2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–24), 3rd place (2018–19) * Golf (Boys): 4th place (2018–19) * Volleyball (Girls): State Champions (2021–22), 2nd place (2022–23), 3rd place (2019–20) * Soccer (Girls): 4th place (2024–25)

Alumni

* Virginia C. Bulat (class of 1956), author and historian,

history of Illinois The history of Illinois may be defined by several broad historical periods, namely, the pre-Columbian period, the era of European exploration and colonization, its development as part of the American frontier, its early statehood period, growth ...

and

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...

* Jeannie Klisiewicz (class of 2004),

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

television producer *

Julian Love Julian Love (born March 19, 1998) is an American professional football safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Early life Love attended Nazareth Acade ...

(class of 2016),

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

* J. J. McCarthy (2017-2020), college football quarterback for the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He finished top 10 in the 2023

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

voting. He won the 2023-2024 FBS National Championship.

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

First Round draft pick, 10th overall in the 2024 NFL draft * Tyler Morris (2018-2021), wide receiver for the

He won the 2023-2024 FBS National Championship. * CJ West (class of 2020), defensive lineman for

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Fourth Round draft pick, 113th overall in the 2025 NFL draft

References

External links

Nazareth Athletics website

Nazareth Alumni website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1900 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic secondary schools in Illinois Private high schools in Cook County, Illinois 1900 establishments in Illinois