Washington Junior High, home of the Wildcats, is one of five junior high schools in District 203. The school was one of 17 district schools recognized for achieving the Academic Excellence Award for 2009. To qualify for the award, a school had to have 90 percent of its students meeting or exceeding state standards in both reading and math for three consecutive years. The honor ties in with the school's mission: "We educate students to be self-directed learners, collaborative workers, complex thinkers, quality producers and community contributors."