# Roycemore School

Roycemore School is an independent, nonsectarian, co-educational college preparatory school located in Evanston, Illinois serving students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. The school's current enrollment is approximately 240 students as of 2021. The school's former building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2024, for the state of Illinois, Niche ranked Roycemore School as the 1st most diverse private high school, the 4th-best private high school, and the 3rd-best private K–12 school. The school currently has a six-to-one student-to-teacher ratio.

## History

Roycemore School was founded in 1915 by Julia Henry and a group of North Shore parents at 640 Lincoln Street in Evanston, Illinois. Henry was originally the Lower School principal at the Girton School for Girls in Winnetka, IL, taking several faculty members and students with her to the new Roycemore. The school was named after Henry's grandfather, Andrew Royce, a Congregational minister in Barre, Vermont in the 1800s. The school took on the Royce family crest inspiring the blue and gold school colors, the motto "fortis et prudens simul," or strength and careful judgement go together, and the mascot, the griffin. In 1968, the first boy graduated, alone in a class of six.
Its original location was in north Evanston, Illinois, near Northwestern University. The former Roycemore School building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
In June 2013, long-time Headmaster Joseph Becker retired (1976-2013), having ushered in a new era of Roycemore in time for the school to celebrate its centennial throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

## Relocation

As its property lease with Northwestern University for the lot at Lincoln St. and Orrington Ave. was due to end in 2014, in early 2000 the school began looking for another Evanston location that would allow room to continue a trend of enrollment growth that had occurred over the previous 10 years, with updated technology and to accommodate a larger, regulation-sized gymnasium.
Roycemore began classes at 1200 Davis Street in Evanston on January 6, 2012. The 3-acre lot, adjacent to Evanston's Alexander Park, was the location of a 55,000-square-foot building that was once the headquarters of the General Board of Pension Funds for the United Methodist Church. Roycemore completely renovated the building and added a nearly 8,000-square-foot gymnasium.

## Athletics and extracurriculars

The school has no-cut athletic teams starting in the fifth grade, including Basketball, Soccer, Fencing, Cross Country and Volleyball. Roycemore's website states, "Participation is given a higher priority than competing to win at all grade levels, but competing to win does take on increased focus as the participants become older."
Roycemore's mascot is the Griffin and the school colors are blue and gold.
Each year, Roycemore School holds its annual Palio, which is the school's oldest tradition. Palio was modeled after the pageant that proceeds the Palio di Siena in Italy. Students from grades 1–12 display the progress they have made in physical education classes during the year. The emphasis is on rhythmics, dance, gymnastics, and sports skills. Roycemore's Palio has a colorful procession, where each new Kindergarten class is handed down a banner with the coat of arms from the graduating Senior class that the younger students will carry until graduation in twelfth grade.
Another longstanding tradition at Roycemore is their tumbling program. Starting in third grade, students can be found participating in mounts, lifting other students, or flying through the air as part of their performance. The program culminates in three annual all-school performances, including Palio, for fellow students, parents and alumni.

## Notable alumni

* Frances Badger (1904–1997), Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist
* Susan Garrett (1950–present), Illinois state senator
* Andrew Goldberg (1968–present), Emmy award-winning producer and director
* Gloria Guardia (1940-2019), UNESCO vice president of PEN International.
* Jason Narducy (1971–present), American rock musician