U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202

Released: October 2, 2007
Contact: David Thomas
(202) 401-1579

2007 BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS NAMED

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today named 287 schools in the United States as 2007 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools. Eight of them are located in North Carolina. Three of those eight are non-public schools. The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools award, one of the most prestigious education awards in the country, distinguishes and honors schools for helping students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.

The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria: (1) Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests; and, (2) Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or in the case of private schools in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally-normed tests.

Those selected will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on November 12-13, 2007. The three North Carolina non-public schools chosen to receive this year’s honors at that time are: Cathedral Catholic School; Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School; and, the Raleigh School, all of Raleigh.

More information on the program along with a list of other current winners is available at: www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/awards.html