Arkansas schools in Conway, El Dorado, Hot Springs and Portland are among 325 campuses nationally to be named Tuesday as National Blue Ribbons Schools for 2021 by the U.S. Department of Education.
The honored schools are:
• Carolyn Lewis Elementary School in the Conway School District.
• Hugh Goodwin Elementary School in the El Dorado School District.
• Park Magnet School in the Hot Springs School District
• Portland Elementary School in East Portland and part of the Hamburg School District.
The annual school recognitions are based on overall academic performance of students at a school or on progress a school has made in closing the achievement gaps between student subgroups.
“I commend … all our Blue Ribbon honorees for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said Tuesday.
“In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect, and teach our children,” he said. “Blue Ribbon Schools have so much to offer and can serve as a model for other schools and communities so that we can truly build back better.”
The federal agency invites nominations for Blue Ribbon designations 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.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools program is in its 39nth year.