Four Kentucky elementary schools met the criteria to be named National Blue Ribbon Schools (NBRS) by the U.S. Department of Education and will be recognized at the Kentucky Board of Education meeting on Dec. 4.
The Kentucky schools being recognized are:
- Tamarack Elementary School (Daviess County);
- Graves County Central Elementary School ;
- Maxwell Immersion Spanish Elementary School (Fayette County); and
- Meadowthorpe Elementary School (Fayette County).
“We would like to celebrate these four exceptional schools for the hard work that went into being selected and meeting all the requirements to be certified as National Blue Ribbon Schools,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher.
The nominated schools ordinarily would have been recognized by the 43-year-old federal program in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, just before the announcement naming the 2025 National Blue Ribbon Schools was to be made, the program was abruptly ended. State officials were informed of that decision in a letter dated Aug. 28.
Schools across the nation had completed the vigorous applications and were being certified by their respective state departments of education – the last step in the process – when letters were sent to state officials from the U.S. Department of Education announcing the end of the program.
“After all the dedication and hard work of the students and the staff and the efforts and many hours put into completing the application, we at the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Board of Education could not let this achievement go unnoticed,” Fletcher said.
“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award has always stood as a symbol of the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of the recognized schools,” said Fletcher. “The National Blue Ribbon Schools raised the bar for our nation and our state’s students and have served as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. We are proud of these students for their achievements as well as the schools, staff, families and communities for their dedication to be ‘All In’ for the students.”
The NBRS program recognized schools based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates. Kentucky’s four schools met the criteria to qualify as Exemplary High-Performing Schools.
These four schools are among hundreds across the country that would have been recognized this year.
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