Hillside High School’s Business and Finance Academy has been awarded NAF’s Katherine Blasik Distinguished level recognition for 2025 – NAF’s highest level of achievement. This includes academies that have reached this level more than once and new academies joining the roster for the first time.
This designation is given to a select few who have reached the Katherine Blasik Distinguished level on NAF’s annual assessment, exhibiting strong fidelity to a design that prepares students for success in college and careers. Katherine Blasik Distinguished level is determined by an academy’s score on the assessment, which measures strengths and challenges in implementing NAF’s results-driven design. Site visits, hosted virtually this year, were conducted to verify academy scores for those new to Katherine Blasik Distinguished.
The assessment is designed to help all academies assess their progress and move up on the continuum of NAF’s standards.
In the classroom, NAF transforms how we think about education—going beyond what traditional high schools offer with personalized learning environments and career-focused curricula. Outside the classroom, students are equipped with the future-ready skills and industry-specific learnings to be successful in any pathway they choose.
NAF Chief Executive Officer Lisa Dughi said, “Congratulations to all our Katherine Blasik Distinguished and NAF Model academies on this esteemed recognition! We’d also like to put our hands together for our academies joining the ranks for the first time. NAF celebrates you and is thrilled to spotlight your contributions and successes in preparing the next generation of leaders. We thank you for your hard work and dedication and know that the entire network will benefit from your impressive exemplars.”
“This recognition is a testament to all those who help make our academy a success,” said Mrs. Priscilla Davis, Hillside BFA Coordinator. “Without our students, teachers, business and community partners, we couldn’t achieve this level of success.”
Hillside High School’s Business and Finance Academy is part of NAF, a national education non-profit that provides access to opportunities for high school students and their communities by bringing schools and businesses together to better prepare the next generation of leaders for college, career, and future success.
About NAF:
Since 1980, NAF has led a movement for immersive, career-focused teaching and work-based learning in high school. With the support of NAF community-based advisory boards, schools connect with the workforce to fuel shared progress—from creating paid internship opportunities to fostering innovation and building future-ready businesses. NAF helps students explore career options, create a plan for the future, and take part in hands-on, work-based learning unlike anything traditional public education systems can offer. NAF puts students on a path to achieving their full potential.
NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries including finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences; and support programs of study that are aligned with the National Career Clusters Framework. During the 2024-25 school year, over 112,000 students attended over 600 NAF academies across 34 states and territories. In 2024, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 90% of graduates planning to go to college. Learn more at naf.org and follow us on social @NAFCareerAcads.