(FRANKFORT, KY) – The U. S. Department of Education (USED) named five Kentucky public schools as 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools, based on their overall academic excellence.

The five Kentucky schools and their districts are:

  • Barret Traditional Middle School – Jefferson County
  • East Valley Elementary School – Morgan County
  • Murray Elementary School – Murray Independent
  • Perryville Elementary School – Boyle County
  • Shopville Elementary School – Pulaski County

“These schools are models of excellence for teaching and learning in our Commonwealth,” Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis said. “I offer my sincere congratulations to the students, staff and leadership at the school and district levels for this incredible and well-deserved recognition.”

The Kentucky schools are among the 362 public and private, elementary, middle and high schools across the country recognized this year. There also are four private schools in Kentucky named as part of the 2019 cohort of Blue Ribbon Schools. These schools were certified using 2017-2018 state assessment data and all of them met the Exemplary High Performing Schools criteria to be National Blue Ribbon Schools.

In its 37-year history, the national Blue Ribbon Schools program has become a trademark of excellence and a symbol of exemplary teaching and learning recognized by everyone from parents to policymakers.

The program recognizes schools in one of two performance categories:

  • Exemplary High Performing Schoolsare among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
  • Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schoolsare among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

Representatives from each of Kentucky’s Blue Ribbon Schools will join those from other states at a recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14-15.

More information on the program and a list of past Kentucky winners are available on the USED website.