NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: September 26, 2019
JACKSON, Miss. – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today recognized three Mississippi schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2019. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
The three schools earning the national distinction for exemplary high performance are:
- Bayou View Elementary School, Gulfport School District
- Northshore Elementary School, Rankin County School District
- Pineville Elementary School, Harrison County School District
“We recognize and honor your important work in preparing students for successful careers and meaningful lives” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in a video message to the honorees. “As a National Blue Ribbon School, your school demonstrates what is possible when committed educators hold all students and staff to high standards and create vibrant, innovative cultures of teaching and learning.”
The coveted 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.
Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education, said the schools’ students, teachers and leaders should be commended for earning the national recognition.
“National Blue Ribbon schools are models of consistent excellence in teaching and learning,” Wright said. “We are proud of Mississippi’s National Blue Ribbon Schools because they show how schools can achieve at the highest levels and be effective in reaching every child.”
Now in its 37th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed recognition on more than 9,000 schools. The 2019 honorees will be recognized at an awards ceremony Nov. 14 and 15 in Washington, D.C.
All schools are honored in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:
- Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
- Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years.
Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The 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 (CAPE).
NOTE TO EDITORS: Photographs and brief descriptions of the 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available at http://www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools.
