What’s a National Blue Ribbon School? These 356 schools just won the honor

(NEXSTAR) – Each year, the U.S. Department of Education recognizes hundreds of schools across the country as National Blue Ribbon Schools. But what exactly does this prestigious title even mean?

The Department of Education receives applications from schools around the U.S. every year for the honor of being named a Blue Ribbon School. The application details a school’s culture, programs, assessments, instructional practices, professional development, leadership, family, and community involvement.

After going through all of the applications, a max of 420 schools are nominated before the final list is selected. The selections are made largely based on two major categories: exemplary high-performing schools and exemplary achievement gap-closing schools .

According to the Department of Education, exemplary high-performing schools are schools that are among the top performers in their state as measured by state assessments or national standardized testing. Exemplary achievement gap-closing schools are schools that excel in narrowing achievement gaps between different student groups and the overall student body.

Schools that fit into both or either of those categories are then awarded the honor of being named a Blue Ribbon School. Each of the schools is also given a Blue Ribbon School flag which can be displayed in a school’s entryway or on a flagpole.

As for this year’s 356 winners, they were pretty evenly spread across the entire country with 316 of them being public schools.

In general, the majority of schools that were selected this year were elementary schools, with them representing 65% of public schools and 70% of private schools.

On a state-by-state level, California finished with the most awarded schools with 33. Texas wasn’t far behind with 31, followed by Illinois at 18. The only participating state not to have a school named a Blue Ribbon School was Washington.

Four other states also did not have a school named because they did not participate in the program: Oregon, Vermont, Idaho, and Maine.

To see the full list of 356 Blue Ribbon Schools and to see if your school was awarded the prestigious honor, check out the National Blue Ribbon School’s website.