(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona today (Friday) recognized 297 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022, including five schools in Iowa. Two of the five schools are located in Glenwood and Mount Ayr. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Secretary Cardona made the announcement during his Road to Success Back to School bus tour.

The Iowa schools named as National Blue Ribbon Schools were:

Iowa – Ankeny – Prairie Trail Elementary School, Ankeny Community School District.
Iowa – Glenwood – West Elementary School, Glenwood Community School District.
Iowa – Mount Ayr – Mount Ayr Elementary School, Mount Ayr Community School District.
Iowa – Van Meter – Van Meter High School, Van Meter Community School District.
Iowa – Vinton – Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School, Vinton-Shellsburg School District.

Secretary Cardona said “I applaud all the honorees for the 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award for creating vibrant, welcoming, and affirming school communities where students can learn, grow, reach their potential, and achieve their dreams. As our country continues to recover from the pandemic, we know that our future will only be as strong as the education we provide to all of our children. Blue Ribbon Schools have gone above and beyond to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students’ lives.”

With its 39th cohort, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools. The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms and validates the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in striving for – and attaining – exemplary achievement. National Blue Ribbon Schools serve as models of effective school practices for state and district educators and other schools throughout the nation. A National Blue Ribbon School flag gracing a school’s entryway or on a flagpole is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.

The Department recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High-Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The Department invites nominations for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.