The National Blue Ribbon Schools program was created by the U.S. Department of Education in 1982 in order to recognize exceptional public and non-public schools around the country. The program aims to highlight and celebrate schools with notable academic excellence. Some schools have won this prestigious awards many times, making them some of the best schools in the U.S.
The research team at AAA State of Play looked at the Department of Education’s data on Blue Ribbon Schools to see which elementary, middle, and high schools have one the most awards since the program’s inception.
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The top Blue Ribbon school in the country is Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, LA, which has won six Blue Ribbons since 1982. This school, which offers classes for grades eight through twelve, is a private college-preparatory school that is run by the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Originally founded as St. Vincent’s Academy in 1894, its purpose is to provide an environment of academic excellence according to the Catholic tradition. The school offers 21 Advanced Placement courses (which teach college-level curricula) including Biology, Statistics, English Literature, World History, and U.S. History.
Next, there are seven different schools that have won five Blue Ribbon awards each. These schools are Edison Computech 7-8 School in Fresno, CA (public); Gretchen Whitney High School in Cerritos, CA (public); Lowell High School in San Francisco, CA (public); Horace Mann Elementary School in Washington, DC (public); Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL (public); Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, IL (private); and Benjamin Franklin Magnet High School in New Orleans, LA (public).
There are also 18 different schools around the country that have won four Blue Ribbon awards. Overall, there are 26 schools that have won four or more Blue Ribbons from the Department of Education since 1982.
Every year, the U.S. Department of Education recognizes hundreds of outstanding schools throughout the country through their Blue Ribbon program. These include public schools, parochial schools, charter schools, Title I schools, magnet schools, and other non-public schools. Since the program’s inception, it has awarded 10,000 awards to some of the most exceptional schools in the U.S. Two factors that the program looks at are academic excellence (including graduation rates and highest achieving students in English and math) and achievements in closing the gap between top-performing students and the rest of the school population.
The following are the U.S. schools that have been awarded four or more Blue Ribbon awards.
School | City | State | Type | Number of Awards | Award Year(s) |
Catholic High School | Baton Rouge | LA | Private | 6 | 1988, 1992, 1997, 2003, 2014, 2020 |
Edison Computech 7-8 School | Fresno | CA | Public | 5 | 1990, 1994, 2001, 2009, 2016 |
Gretchen Whitney High School | Cerritos | CA | Public | 5 | 1986, 1990, 1997, 2008, 2014 |
Lowell High School | San Francisco | CA | Public | 5 | 1983, 1994, 2001, 2012, 2019 |
Horace Mann Elementary School | Washington | DC | Public | 5 | 1990, 1994, 2003, 2011, 2017 |
Adlai E. Stevenson High School | Lincolnshire | IL | Public | 5 | 1986, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2019 |
Carmel Catholic High School | Mundelein | IL | Private | 5 | 1985, 1996, 2002, 2007, 2021 |
Benjamin Franklin Magnet High School | New Orleans | LA | Public | 5 | 1989, 2003, 2009, 2015, 2021 |
William H. Crocker Middle School | Hillsborough | CA | Public | 4 | 1983, 1988, 1994, 2004 |
Britt David Computer Magnet Academy | Columbus | GA | Public | 4 | 1999, 2004, 2012, 2018 |
Trinity School at Greenlawn | South Bend | IN | Private | 4 | 1988, 1992, 2001, 2013 |
Blessed Sacrament Elementary School | Fort Mitchell | KY | Private | 4 | 1994, 2007, 2015, 2021 |
Saint Agnes School | Louisville | KY | Private | 4 | 1999, 2005, 2014, 2020 |
Saint Xavier High School | Louisville | KY | Private | 4 | 1984, 1989, 1993, 2016 |
Baton Rouge Magnet High School | Baton Rouge | LA | Public | 4 | 1983, 2003, 2015, 2021 |
Saint Joseph's Academy | Baton Rouge | LA | Private | 4 | 1991, 1996, 2002, 2016 |
Bemis Elementary School | Troy | MI | Public | 4 | 1988, 1998, 2014, 2020 |
Mariemont High School | Cincinnati | OH | Public | 4 | 1984, 1988, 2001, 2005 |
Saint James School | Cincinnati | OH | Private | 4 | 1987, 1991, 1998, 2007 |
Ancillae-Assumpta Academy | Wyncote | PA | Private | 4 | 1986, 1992, 2010, 2018 |
Fort Couch Middle School | Upper St. Clair | PA | Public | 4 | 1986, 1992, 2001, 2013 |
Spartanburg High School | Spartanburg | SC | Public | 4 | 1983, 1988, 1992, 1997 |
O'Gorman High School | Sioux Falls | SD | Private | 4 | 1985, 2005, 2014, 2021 |
Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions | Houston | TX | Public | 4 | 1998, 2003, 2009, 2018 |
Judge Memorial Catholic High School | Salt Lake City | UT | Public | 4 | 1984, 1989, 1998, 2021 |
Holy Names Academy | Seattle | WA | Private | 4 | 1984, 1990, 1994, 2001 |
From playing on playground structures as young children to graduating high school as young adults, these top schools provide an incredible learning environment for students.
Find more about the author: Kim Hart
