School of St. Mary, Lake Forest named a Blue Ribbon School
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has recognized the School of St. Mary in Lake Forest as one of 367 National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020.
The recognition is based on a school's overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. To view the announcement, visit www.facebook.com/ED.gov/videos/353588509127994.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.
Now in its 38th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed almost 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools, with some schools winning multiple awards.
Schools are eligible for nomination after five years of being honored with the award. The School of St. Mary has received this prestigious award three times (1989-90, 2012, 2020), which is very rare.
The Education Department recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, student subgroup scores and graduation rates:
• Exemplary High Performing Schools - These are among their state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools - These are among their state's highest performing in closing achievement gaps between a school's student groups and all students.
Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The U.S. Education Department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education.
Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.
The 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony will be held virtually Nov. 12 and 13. The 317 public and 50 nonpublic school honorees will each receive their plaques and flags via mail.
For information, visit www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools.