The Texas Education Agency announced that 26 Texas public schools have been nominated for the federal National Blue Ribbon School Honors program.
Initiated by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that have high student achievement and/or highlights where exemplary progress has been made in closing achievement gaps among student subpopulations. Since the program’s founding, 9,000 schools across the nation have received this honor.
Nominations are made by the Chief State School Officer (the Commissioner of Education in Texas), and each state is given a quota of the number of schools that may be nominated. Selection for nomination is based on the process prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education.
In Texas, public schools are considered for nomination based on student performance on the first administration of the previous year’s STAAR assessments– and each nominated school must have an economically disadvantaged population of 25 percent or more.
The nominated schools include:
Exemplary High-Performing Schools
- Pullam Elementary – Brownsville ISD
- Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy – Dallas ISD
- Trinidad Garza Early College High School – Dallas ISD
- Hawkins Elementary – El Paso ISD
- Lamar Elementary – El Paso ISD
- North Houston Early College High School – Houston ISD
- Klondike ISD
- Achieve Early College High School – McAllen ISD
- Spearman Junior High – Spearman ISD
- Young Women’s Leadership Academy – San Antonio ISD
- South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy – South Texas ISD
- South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy – South Texas ISD
- Ramona Elementary – Ysleta ISD
Exemplary Achievement-Gap-Closing Schools
- Atlanta Elementary – Atlanta ISD
- A P Beutel Elementary – Brazosport ISD
- Gallegos Elementary – Brownsville ISD
- Calder Road Elementary – Dickinson ISD
- Clendenin Elementary – El Paso ISD
- Mitzi Bond Elementary – El Paso ISD
- Hidalgo Elementary – Hidalgo ISD
- Porter Elementary – Mesquite ISD
- Navarro Elementary – Navarro ISD
- Zeferino Farias Elementary – Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD
- Valley Mills Elementary – Valley Mills ISD
- South Loop Elementary – Ysleta ISD
- Vista Hills Elementary – Ysleta ISD
After being nominated, these schools must now undergo a rigorous application process conducted by the U.S. Department of Education.
National award winners are announced in September 2021.