With 31 students earning full scholarships to college, Chicago Public Schools this year has more students than any other school system in the country earning the prestigious awards.
Chicago bested the likes of New York (29), Atlanta and Los Angeles (19 each), and Miami (15), the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship began in 1999 with $1 billion to give minority students full rides through college. But they can't just be smart. They also have to exhibit need, have given back to their communities and sold their story in nine essays.
The recipients are described by CPS as not just good students, but some of the best people in the city. They're the future leaders who understand how they got here.