The National Blue Ribbon Schools program was established in 1982 by the U.S. Department of Education. It recognizes both public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that have demonstrated academic excellence as well as significant progress in closing the gaps of achievement among student groups.
Since the inception of the program, more than 10,000 awards have been given to more than 9,000 schools. The program awards the hard work of the students, educators, and families that have contributed to the success of the schools.
There are many schools that have been awarded multiple National Blue Ribbons since the inception of the program – in fact, 26 schools have won four or more awards since the program was established. AAA State of Play looked at data from the Department of Education to determine which U.S. schools have won the most National Blue Ribbons.
The school that has been awarded the most National Blue Ribbons since 1982 is Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, LA. The prestigious school has won the award 6 times: 1988, 1992, 1997, 2003, 2014, and 2020. It is a private Catholic school that offers grades 8-12.
There are seven schools on the list that have won five National Blue Ribbons since 1982. Those schools are the following:
- Edison Computech 7-8 School in Fresno, CA (public school)
- Gretchen Whitney High School in Cerritos, CA (public school)
- Lowell High School in San Francisco, CA (public school)
- Horace Mann Elementary School in Washington, DC (public school)
- Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL (public school)
- Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, IL (private school)
- Benjamin Franklin Magnet High School in New Orleans, LA (public school)
There are 18 schools in the United States that have won four National Blue Ribbons. How many of these excellent schools have you heard of?
