BYRON CENTER, Mich. — It is a massive honor when the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes a school and that honor went to two schools in the same West Michigan district.
The program released their list of 297 National Blue Ribbon Schools on Friday, which recognizes a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
Michigan only had two schools that made the 2022 list, both of which are elementary schools in the Byron Center School District.
Marshall Elementary School
Marshall Elementary is a PreK through 4th grade school with over 500 students at the school. This is the second time Marshall has been recognized in the last several years, with their last recognition occurring in 2016.
"Marshall Elementary School's commitment to creating intentional time for collaborative teams to meet to engage in the PLC (Professional Learning Communities) process has been a catalyst for Marshall's increase in student achievement scores in core academic areas," the school wrote in their application for recognition.
Brown Elementary School
Brown Elementary is a PreK through 4th grade school with nearly 600 students at the school. This is the second time Brown has been recognized in the last several years, with their last recognition occurring in 2015.
"Our goal is to have all of our students reach grade level goals through a balance of inspiring relationships and relevant rigor! Brown teachers are very skilled and genuinely committed to students, collaborating with all in using the best teaching practices that meet the needs of their learners," the school wrote in their application for recognition.
This year's two recognitions was a huge decrease in National Blue Ribbon Schools this year compared to years past. In 2021, Michigan had 13 recognized schools and had similar amounts as far back as 2015.
You can see a complete list of National Blue Ribbon Schools here.
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