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Dr. Peter Tragos, the current Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at New Trier Township High School District 203, will become the District’s new Superintendent beginning July 1, 2025.
The District 203 Board of Education announced the appointment of Tragos at its November regular meeting, following community and staff input on a leadership profile and an extensive nationwide search. Tragos will succeed Dr. Paul Sally, who previously announced that he will retire as superintendent at the end of June 2025 after 31 years at New Trier.
“A lifelong learner, compassionate educator, and dedicated servant leader, he truly embodies the values professed in the New Trier motto,” said New Trier Board of Education President Jean Hahn. “Now in his 27th year at the District, Dr. Tragos has worn many hats – first as a teacher in the social studies department, during which time he also served as an adviser and president of the New Trier Education Association, later joining the ranks of the administration, where he served as the Assistant Principal for the Northfield Campus, and since 2017 as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. In each of these roles, Dr. Tragos not only honed his mastery of teaching and learning, but also his authentic passion for students and teachers. …
Remarkably, in addition to his innumerable contributions to New Trier, Dr. Tragos has also found the time and energy to establish himself beyond our walls as a visionary thought leader. A self-described “insider who thinks like an outsider,” Dr. Tragos has partnered with prestigious national organizations like the Carnegie Foundation, Aspen Institute, and America Succeeds Educational Advisory Panel, becoming a prominent voice in conversations about the most crucial issues facing public education – how to bridge divides, adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing workplace, and reimagine a brighter, hopeful future for our children.”
Tragos is a 29-year veteran educator who began his career teaching at Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago before joining New Trier’s Social Studies faculty in 1998. He was promoted to Northfield Campus Assistant Principal in 2013 and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in 2017. In his current position, he is responsible for overseeing all major curricular initiatives as well as faculty supervision and evaluation, professional development, and testing. Most recently Tragos has led several initiatives that fulfill New Trier’s strategic plan goals, including development of the Characteristics of a New Trier Graduate, implementation of New Trier’s Civil Discourse and Critical Thinking statement, establishment of a first-of-its-kind partnership with the University of Illinois’ Siebel Center for Design, and leadership of a Future Programming Committee charged with developing innovative, experiential, and flexible opportunities for students in anticipation of future career pathways.
“I am humbled and grateful to be New Trier’s next superintendent, following a line of superintendents who have maintained the district’s history of excellence while adapting the institution to the needs of each generation of students and families,” Tragos said. “What makes New Trier so special is its people and mission, and I’m excited to work together with all stakeholders to achieve the vision of the strategic plan and chart a course beyond 2030. …
Like education across the nation, New Trier is amid a period of change, and we will continue to embrace the call to be a lighthouse school, leading change that prepares our students to thrive in the future while staying grounded in our core values of inquiry, compassion, and service.”
Tragos holds a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric, speech communication, and history from Drake University, a master’s degree in education and history from DePaul University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership and administration from National Louis University. A Northfield resident, his family includes four New Trier alumnae - wife Karen (1988) and daughters Isabel (2018), Olivia (2019), and Fiona (2021).
His selection follows a process that formally began in May when the Board of Education hired the firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA) to assist in the search. HYA solicited input from community members, parents, students, staff, and alumni through 21 focus groups, five open forums, nine interviews, and an online survey that received nearly 1,000 responses. They used this input to build a Leadership Profile that guided the Board as it recruited and assessed a highly qualified pool of applicants that included educational leaders across the country. The Board interviewed finalists over the past several weeks.
Sally has led the District as Superintendent since 2017, and his retirement on June 30, 2025 will cap 31 years at New Trier - 15 as a math teacher and 16 as an administrator. He has been instrumental in creating and advancing New Trier’s comprehensive strategic plan, New Trier 2030, overseeing important facilities improvements including the opening of the East Side Academic and Athletic project, and leading the District through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This announcement marks an exciting time of transition for New Trier, and with the selection of Dr. Peter Tragos, I can say without a doubt that the District will be in excellent hands for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead,” Sally said. “Peter is an innovative thinker who has pushed us to consider how to prepare students not just for college or career, but for a fast-changing world that values collaboration, critical thinking, flexibility, respect for differences, and civic responsibility. I am excited to work with him over the next several months as he prepares for this new role and develops his plan for leading New Trier into the future and advancing its tradition of excellence.”
