The U.S. Department of Education has honored Grandin Court Elementary School in Roanoke as one of seven “Blue Ribbon” schools in Virginia. The schools are recognized for either being academically superior or for demonstrating dramatic gains in student achievement.
NEWS RELEASE: — Seven Virginia public schools are among the 362 schools named today by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos as 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors K-12 schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.
Virginia public schools recognized as 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools are as follows:
- Arlington Traditional School in Arlington County
- Grandin Court Elementary in Roanoke
- Midlothian High in Chesterfield County
- Paul Munro Elementary in Lynchburg
- Rodney E. Thompson Middle in Stafford County
- Rural Retreat Elementary in Wythe County
- Tallwood Elementary in Virginia Beach
“Congratulations to the teachers, principals, students and all of the educators and support staff whose hard work and dedication to learning and excellence have earned this national recognition,” Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said. “These schools share a common commitment to provide exceptional educational opportunities that will instill in their students a lifelong love of learning that is essential to achieving long-lasting academic and career success.”
Two Virginia private schools — Saint Francis of Assisi School in Triangle and Trinity Christian School in Everett — also were recognized as a 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The Council for American Private Education nominates private schools for National Blue Ribbon School awards each year.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools are selected based on one of two criteria: performance on state assessments, or in the case of private schools, performance on national standardized tests and high school graduation rates; or performance in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years while increasing graduation rates for each subgroup.
The U.S. Department of Education will honor all of the nation’s 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools during a conference and awards ceremony later this fall in Washington, DC.
