St. Laurence High School

Not to be confused with St. Lawrence High School.

St. Laurence High School is a co-educational, STEM-based high school founded in 1961. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, the school is conducted by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and is named for the Irish Saint Laurence O'Toole.

St. Laurence High School
Location
5556 West 77th Street Burbank , Cook County , Illinois 60459 United States
Coordinates	41°45′14″N 87°45′36″W
Information
Type	Private
Motto	Where Leadership Begins
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1961
Sister school	Queen of Peace High School
Oversight	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
President	Joseph A. Martinez
Principal	Kristy Kane
Faculty	98[1]
Teaching staff	62.1 (on an FTE basis)[2]
Grades	9–12
Gender	Co-ed
Enrollment	913[2] (2021–2022)
Average class size	24
Student to teacher ratio	14.7[2]
Campus size	23 acres (93,000 m2)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Black and gold
Fight song	Viking Fight Song
Athletics conference	Chicago Catholic League
Mascot	Igor the Viking and Astrid the Viking
Team name	Vikings
Accreditation	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
Publication	Gladsheim (literary magazine)
Newspaper	The Helm
Yearbook	The Valhallan
Tuition	11,700 (2022–2023)[4]
Affiliation	Congregation of Christian Brothers
Website	www.stlaurence.com

The school is located in the southwest Chicago suburb of Burbank, Illinois, adjacent to the property of the former Queen of Peace High School, a private, all-female Catholic high school that closed in 2017. St. Laurence became co-ed beginning with the 2017–2018 school year after Queen of Peace closed.

History

St. Laurence High School was founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers as a boys' school. With the closure of its neighboring sister school Queen of Peace High School, a girls' school run by the Dominican Sisters, it was announced that St. Laurence would become co-educational from the 2017–2018 academic year onwards and accommodate transferring female students.^[5]

Due to construction delays on the Queen of Peace High School building, Queen of Peace High School classes were held in the D and E wings of the St. Laurence building for one school year while construction on Queen of Peace High School was completed.

Currently, AERO Special Education Cooperative occupies the former Queen of Peace campus, with new accessible construction completed in 2023.^[6]

Classes

At the start of the 2013 school year, St. Laurence High School became a STEM school. The school incorporates spirituality and leadership in its STEM program.^[7] St. Laurence High School also pioneers "Career Explorer" courses.

All classrooms are located on the first floor of the school. Classrooms are divided among four of the five academic wings, labeled A, B, C, D, and E.

In 2021, St. Laurence High School began an IB Diploma Programme, making it one of only three Catholic high schools in Illinois to offer the program, along with DePaul College Prep and Trinity High School.^[8]

Athletics

St. Laurence High School is a member of both the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) for boys' sports and the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC) for girls' sports. It is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). St. Laurence sponsors interscholastic teams in baseball, basketball, bowling, cheer, cross country, dance, eSports, flag football, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling, which compete in IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments. The school also sponsors an ice hockey team.^[9]

The following teams have finished in the top four at the IHSA state tournament in their respective class:^[10]

• Baseball: IHSA 3A Champions (2025), 2nd place (2019), 3rd place (1993, 2017, 2021), Semifinalist (1987)
• Basketball: 4th place (1976–1977)
• Boys Track & Field: 100-meter race Champion (2024), 4x100-meter relay race Champions (2024)
• Football: Champions (1976–1977), Runner-Up (1979–1980, 2023–2024^[11])
• Soccer: 3rd place (2023), 4th place (2019)
• Softball: 4th place (2025)
• Wrestling: Champions (1989–1990)

Notable alumni

• Brent Bowers, Major League Baseball outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles
• Kevin Bracken, United States team member in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics^[12]
• Jimmy Dore, comedian and political commentator
• Jim Dwyer, Major League Baseball outfielder with the 1983 World Series champion Baltimore Orioles
• Tim Grunhard, NFL All-Pro center with the Kansas City Chiefs^[13]
• James Hickey, retired United States Army colonel involved in the capture of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in December 2003
• Daniel R. Jenky, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria; rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame; chaplain of Notre Dame's last football team to win a national championship^[14]
• Kevin J. O'Connor, film and TV actor (The Mummy, Van Helsing, Steel Magnolias, Color of Night, There Will Be Blood)
• Steve Puidokas, professional basketball player in Europe and Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor member
• Stan Smagala, NFL safety with the Dallas Cowboys^[15]
• Jim Stack, NBA executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Chicago Bulls^[16]
• John Tumpane, Major League Baseball umpire
• Jeff Vintar, motion picture screenwriter (I, Robot)