St. John Bosco Catholic School in Phoenix celebrated the momentous occasion of being recognized as a 2025 National Blue Ribbon School this week (Sept. 26) with a school-wide assembly, community prayers of thanksgiving and a sweet on-theme treat: Blue Ribbon ice cream bars.
The nomination was the first in the school’s history and St. John Bosco (PreK-8) was the only private-school honoree from Arizona this year.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools (NBRS) Program honors schools for exceptional achievement. For non-public schools, eligibility requires that student performance in the most recent tested year places the school in the top 15-percent nationally in reading/English language arts, and mathematics on a nationally normed assessment. As the federal program sunsets in 2025, the St. John Bosco community was part of its final cohort of nominees.
“We are profoundly grateful to our teachers and staff for their unwavering excellence; to our students for their hard work and joy; and to … our parents for [their] partnership and trust,” said Principal Jamie Bescak.
“Together, we live our mission of forming faith-filled leaders with strong minds and generous hearts.”
