The Gettysburg Middle School is one of 325 schools nationwide recognized by the US Department of Education this week (Sept. 23, 2021) as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021.
The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
Four South Dakota schools earned the designation this year. Along with Gettysburg Middle School, the other three recipients are:
- Arlington Elementary School
- Pinedale Elementary School (Rapid City)
- O’Gorman High School, Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools (Sioux Falls)
The US Department of Education recognizes schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates. All four of South Dakota’s 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized in the Exemplary High-Performing Schools category for being among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The US Department of Education invites National Blue Ribbon Schools nominations 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. Now in its 39th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.
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