Texas Nominates 26 Schools for 2021 National Blue Ribbon Honors
Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency today announced the nomination of 26 Texas public schools as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools.
“These 26 schools exemplify academic excellence, and I thank the teachers, staff, administrators, students, and parents for their outstanding work,” said Governor Abbott. “We have a responsibility to ensure that every Texas student graduates with the knowledge to succeed in college or a career, which is why last session we passed transformative legislation to invest more money into our classrooms and give our teachers a pay raise. This session we will build on these accomplishments to ensure that every Texas student receives a quality education regardless of their zip code.”
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 prestigious designation.
In the Lone Star State, public schools are considered for nomination based on student performance on the first administration of the previous year’s STAAR assessments. Each nominated school has an economically disadvantaged population of 25 percent or more.
The nominated schools in Texas for 2021 include the following:
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
The nominated schools must now complete a rigorous application process conducted by the USDE. National award winners will be announced in September of 2021. Schools that receive the designation are recognized at the Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C.