The U.S. Department of Education has honored eight Missouri schools as 2018 Blue Ribbon Schools. The national award recognizes schools that perform at high academic levels (top 15 percent in the state based on assessment scores and graduation rates) or that perform at high levels while serving a significant proportion of disadvantaged students (top 15 percent in progress toward reducing the achievement gap).

“Preparing our students for the future begins at an early age,” said Governor Mike Parson. “As our students continue their education and eventually enter the workforce, they will always remember the foundation that was laid for them by their educators. Today, we congratulate the Missouri schools who have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools. The schools, teachers, and staff all deserve credit for their hard work building a foundation and giving our students the tools to succeed. They, along with the hard work of our students, are deserving of this recognition.”

These are the 2018 Missouri Blue Ribbon Schools:

• Lake Road Elementary, Poplar Bluff R-I School District
• Kingston Elementary, Kingston K-14 School District
• Nashua Elementary, North Kansas City 74 School District
• Richland Elementary, Richland R-I School District
• William Bryant Elementary, Blue Springs R-IV School District
• Willard Elementary, Willard R-II School District
• Leeton Elementary, Leeton R-X School District
• Nike Elementary, Meramec Valley R-III School District

“Congratulations to these schools for their outstanding, student-centered work,” said interim Commissioner of Education Roger Dorson. “The school leaders, teachers and students have worked hard to earn this national recognition, and their communities can be proud of their accomplishment.”

Earlier this year, the schools were honored as Gold Star Schools under a program established by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 1991. The schools were then nominated as Blue Ribbon Schools. The nomination criteria for both programs are the same.

Representatives from the Blue Ribbon Schools may attend the national awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. This year’s ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 7-8.