Expanding Horizons
Inspiring Excellence
Transforming Communities
College Ready
“The students are the best portion of my job. They constantly rise above my expectations and perform their very best in difficult subjects like physics.”
Kumkum Bonnerjee,
CRSM Science Teacher
Work Prepared
“I support Cristo Rey because it works. Supervisors report that these students are professional, serious and focused…”
Terry Brady, Retired CEO and President,
Underwriters Laboratories
Committed to Faith and Justice
“I am inspired daily by students who, rooted in faith, rise to confront social injustices through service and prayer. I’ve witnessed this through our students who volunteer, and student-led groups such as Oportunidades Para Todos”
Iris Sanchez, CRSM Campus Minister, 2018 Alumni
Who
we are
428
Current Students
88
Business Partners
100%
Acceptance to Bachelor’s Programs 5 years in a row
1200
Volunteer Hours
News & Updates
Cristo Rey St. Martin Turns 20: Celebrating Two Decades of Community and Excellence
Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep (CRSM) began the celebration for its 20th birthday on August 19 with an all-school assembly, presents for our students and staff, special visits from our board members, and so much more! This year is extra special for our school and...
Teacher Feature: Pati Ferrer
With a 93% teacher retention rate, Cristo Rey St. Martin ranks number one in all of the Cristo Rey Network for this metric. Many members of our faculty and staff have remained throughout the changes in buildings, branding, leadership, and many other elements in the...
Dedicated To Faith and Service: Our Students Make Their Annual Trip to Nazareth Farm
For the past three years, a group of Cristo Rey St. Martin students and faculty opt to devote a week of their summer to doing service work at Nazareth Farm in West Virginia. The week requires all participants to completely “check out”, giving up cell phones, laptops,...
Oscar Gonzalez’s Speech from the 2024 Business Partner Appreciation Brunch
Good morning, everyone! My name is Oscar Gonzalez, and I am a proud graduate of Cristo Rey St. Martin, Class of 2017. I attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and graduated in 2021. Currently, I work at Abbott as an Accounts Payable...
A Dream-Team of Counselors and Volunteers Prepare Students for College Decisions
At Cristo Rey St. Martin (CRSM), the college preparatory process for Juniors and Seniors begins in the first weeks of school. Our college counselors, Sharon Holdvogt and Ana Aguilar, and their dedicated team of volunteers work hard to prepare our students to search...
Alumni Spotlights
Alumni Trailblazer on a Path to the Intersection of the Environment and Human Health
Sebastian Rodriguez was 14 years old when he first decided he wanted to combine his passion for scientific knowledge, with his commitment for helping community members in Waukegan and North Chicago improve and safeguard the environment and their health. “I always look...
Alumna Lauded as Business “Rookie of the Year”
At 15 years old, Samantha Bahena made a pledge: “I want to be that one out of 10 students in Waukegan who goes to college,” which at the time was the trajectory. The 22-year-old CRSM Class of ’17 grad recently was named “Rookie of the Year,” at Advanced...
Discovering New Pathways: Alumni Scientist Lays the Foundation for Cancer and Other Medical Treatments
Weekdays, Jalyn Jones works in the R & D lab at AbbVie, testing and experimenting with drugs slated to break new ground in complex medical treatments including oncology. The CRSM ’16 grad is especially proud of his “associate scientist,” title because (he’s the...
Alumna Returns to CRSM to Talk About “Taboo” Mental Health Issues with Students
At one point in the pandemic, CRSM alumna Marilu Bueno, 22, a college psychology and theater major, realized that high school students at her alma mater had spent a significant chunk of the last two school years isolated from friends and in a fractured learning...
They’re Back! 9 Alums Return to CRSM to Make a Difference
From serving on the leadership team and the board of directors to teaching, navigating student jobs, and mentoring scholarship recipients, to leading retreats for campus ministry, nine CRSM alums have a special connection to the school as the 2022-23 school year kicks...
Admissions
In and out of the classroom, we are committed to students getting to and through college. For five consecutive years, CRSM has been named by the Wall Street Journal as one of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools.”
From soccer and volleyball to theater and volunteering to feed and clothe the homeless, we offer a variety of ways for students to get involved.
Our Business Partners
