A pair of schools in Philadelphia, and 10 more in the surrounding area, were named National Blue Ribbon schools Thursday by the U.S. Department of Education.
North Philly's George Washington Carver High School and Northeast Philly's Greenberg Elementary School were among 18 recipients in Pennsylvania. The list of 362 schools recognizes institutions for their "overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups", according to a release from the Department of Education.
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The Blue Ribbon program recognizes schools in two different categories: high-performing schools, and schools which have closed achievement gaps. Greenberg Elementary was recognized for closing achievement gaps, and G.W. Carver High was recognized for its high performance.
"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," U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said in a release Thursday.
Nearly a dozen other schools in the area were also recognized as Blue Ribbon recipients, two for closing achievement gaps and eight for high performance:
• Afton Elementary School in Yardley (Closing Achievement Gap)
• Cardinal John Foley Regional Catholic School in Havertown (High Performance)
• Sabold Elementary School in Springfield (Closing Achievement Gap)
• Saint Pius X School in Broomall (High Performance)
• Saint Thomas the Apostle School in Glen Mills (High Performance)
• Saints Colman-John Neumann School in Bryn Mawr (High Performance)
• Mary, Mother Of The Redeemer School in North Wales (High Performance)
• Radix Elementary School in Monroe Township, New Jersey (High Performance)
• Joseph D. Sharp Elementary School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey (High Performance)
This marks the second straight year that two Philadelphia schools received Blue Ribbon recognition. Last year, Center City's Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School and Queen Village's William M. Meredith School were Blue Ribbon recipients.
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