Seven Florida Schools Win National Blue Ribbon Awards

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Seven Florida Schools Win National Blue Ribbon Awards
Tallahassee, Fla., November 8, 2012 - The Blue Ribbon Schools program selected seven Florida public schools as 2012 national award winners. Leaders from each school will be presented an award signifying their Blue Ribbon status during the program's conference on Monday, November 12, in Washington, D.C.

To be eligible for the national award, schools must be ranked among the highest in their state or have demonstrated dramatic gains in overall student achievement in both reading and mathematics. This year, only 219 public schools nationwide were selected to be honored during the annual award ceremony.

"Achieving the level of excellence set by the Blue Ribbon Schools Awards is no easy task," said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. "These schools are a model for others to follow, creating classrooms designed for student success."

The program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools in one of two performance categories. Schools recognized in the "Exemplary High Performing" category must be among their state's highest performing schools, as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests. The second category, "Exemplary Improving," recognizes schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds who demonstrate the most progress in improving student achievement levels.

Congratulations to the following Florida public schools selected in the Exemplary High Performing Schools category.

West Melbourne Elementary School for Science, Brevard County
West Shore Junior/Senior High School, Brevard County
Imagine Charter School at Weston, Broward County
Christina M. Eve Elementary School, Miami-Dade County
Killearn Lakes Elementary School, Leon County
Lincoln Avenue Academy, Polk County
Partin Elementary School, Seminole County
For more information about the BRS program, visit National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.