Two area schools are among the seven Virginia schools named 2017 National Blue Ribbon recipients by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVoss.
Both Union Hall Elementary in Pittsylvania County and Mountain View Elementary in Rockbridge County received this high honor.
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The Blue Ribbon Award honors both public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior or demonstrate dramatic improvement in student achievement. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria: performance on state assessments for public schools, or performance on national standardized tests and high school graduation rates for private schools. The second criteria looks at performance in tightening achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years, while increasing graduation rates for each subgroup.
The five other Virginia schools recognized as 2017 National Blue Ribbon recipients are:
- Emerick Elementary in Loudon County
- Hickory High in Chesapeake
- Midway Elementary in Dinwiddie County
- Stonehouse Elementary in Williamsburg-James City County
- Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church
The six public schools also earned awards through the Virginia Index of Performance program earlier this year. Union Hall Elementary earned the Board of Education Excellence Award, among three other schools. Mountain View Elementary was one of two Virginia schools to earn the Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Award.
The U.S. Department of Education will honor all of the country's 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools during a conference and awards ceremony Nov. 6 and 7 in Washington, D.C.