NORTH CAROLINA — On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos named three public schools in North Carolina National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020.

Piedmont IB Middle School in Mecklenburg County, Cross Creek Early College High School in Cumberland County, and PSRC Early College at RCC in Robeson County were among the 367 schools nationwide to receive the honor, which recognizes overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.

“Congratulations to this year’s National Blue Ribbon School awardees,” DeVos said. “It’s a privilege to recognize the extraordinary work you do to meet students’ needs and prepare them for successful careers and meaningful lives.”

State Superintendent Mark Johnson also praised the North Carolina schools for setting high expectations for all students and helping them achieve their goals at high levels.

“The teachers, other educators and parents in these schools should be proud of this recognition,” Johnson said. “These schools are demonstrating what’s best about public education in North Carolina: a clear focus on teaching and learning that delivers results for students.”

Nearly 10,000 awards have been issued to toughly 9,000 schools in the 38 year history of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Schools are elegible for nomination after five years, according to a release, and can win multiple awards. 

In North Carolina, 156 schools have received the honor, which "affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content."

According to release from Public Schools of North Carolina, "All schools are honored in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years. 

North Carolina’s three winning schools are recognized this year for the Blue Ribbon designation were selected as Exemplary High Performing Schools."

A virtual awards ceremony will be held on November 12 and 13. Each school will then receive their plagues and flags by mail.