The History of St. George High School
St. George is a rural area northeast of Kankakee in Kankakee County,
about eight miles away from the county seat. It is located near County Roads 5000 East and 5000 North. The
town is a small hamlet of about 15 houses, an active catholic church, a heating and air conditioning business, and the St.
George Elementary School. The town was established in 1866 and named after a town of the same name in Quebec, Canada. Other
communities nearby include Bradley, Bourbonnais, and Manteno, which are all to the west of St. George.
St. George High School was opened as co-ed public school in the fall of
1913 by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Concordia, Kansas. The school started operating in the sisters' convent as a one-year
school, and later became a two-year institution in 1922. A third year was added in 1929, and a fourth year was offered starting
in 1940.
St. George was not able to become accredited as a educational institution due to the lack of
students and teachers at the school. It was decided to close the school in the spring of 1948 when other schools in Kankakee
County were consolidating. The St. George School building that was erected in 1924 still stands and is in use. Several new
additions have been made and the school is flourishing today as a K-8 facility as part of the Bradley-Bourbonnais School District.
