Evanston Township High School in Illinois is working with the FBI, external cyber breach attorneys, and cybersecurity forensic experts to investigate a June 7 ransomware attack that disrupted district systems, internet services, and computer infrastructure.
The school, which operates as Evanston Township High School District 202, said in a statement that it has not yet determined whether personal information was accessed or acquired during the incident. Forensic experts are working to determine what information, if any, may have been compromised.
The attack affected critical systems needed to safely operate the campus, including internet access, network systems, door access, public address announcements, and other emergency or operational systems. As a result, the district closed Evanston Township High School on June 8 and June 9. Summer school classes, sports camps, and other on-campus activities were canceled.
On-campus programs resumed on June 10, but phone systems remain offline, and staff have limited access to email and other systems, according to the district.
The incident comes as K-12 schools continue to face persistent cybersecurity threats nationwide.
The Center for Internet Security’s 2025 K-12 cybersecurity report, based on data from more than 5,000 K-12 organizations from July 2023 through December 2024, found that 82% of reporting K-12 schools were affected by cyber threats. The report identified 14,000 security events and 9,300 confirmed cybersecurity incidents during that period.
The U.S. Department of Education says school districts nationwide experience an average of five cyber incidents per week. Those incidents can include data breaches, ransomware attacks, and online class intrusions, the department said.
