Missouri’s eight Gold Star Schools for 2021 have also been recognized as U.S. Department of Education (USED) National Blue Ribbon Schools. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes individual schools for either their outstanding academic achievement (top 15 percent in the state based on English and mathematics assessment scores and graduation rates) or their performance at high academic levels while serving a significant proportion of disadvantaged students.

Missouri’s 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools include:

• Bloomfield Middle School, Bloomfield R-XIV School District
• Delta Woods Middle School, Blue Springs R-IV School District
• Wydown Middle School, Clayton School District
• Francis Howell Middle School, Francis Howell R-III School District
• Skyline Middle School, Hickory Co. R-I School District
• North Kirkwood Middle School, Kirkwood R-VII School District
• Mansfield Junior High School, Mansfield R-IV School District
• Wilson’s Creek 5-6 Intermediate Center, Springfield R-XII School District

“Congratulations to the students, teachers, and staff members of each of these schools for this impressive accomplishment,” said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “These schools exemplify what it takes to prepare students for success in school and in life while working hard to meet the needs of each individual child.”

Last month, these eight schools were honored as Missouri Gold Star Schools, a program established by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 1991. They were then nominated for the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, which shares the same nomination criteria as the Gold Star Schools award. To date, more than 9,000 schools across the country have been presented with this coveted U.S. Department of Education award.

The 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools award ceremony will be held November 4 and 5 in National Harbor, MD. Photographs and brief descriptions of all 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available from USED here.

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