Three public schools in Southcentral Alaska earned national recognition this week as recipients of the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon award for academic excellence.
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recognized a total of 349 public and private schools nationwide as 2018 National Blue Ribbon Schools for either overall academic excellence or for work closing achievement gaps.
In Alaska, all three schools were recognized as high performing based on scores on state tests, said a statement from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. The award winners are: Steller Secondary School in the Anchorage School District, Pioneer Peak Elementary School in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District and Homer Middle School in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.
"These three diverse Alaskan schools are excellent examples of educational communities coming together to support all students, every day," Alaska Education Commissioner Michael Johnson said in a statement.
Steller Secondary, an alternative school that accepts students by lottery, was also named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2005.