Clarksville's Spanish Immersion at Barksdale school recognized for excellence for 2nd year

For the second year in a row, the U.S. Department of Education has recognized a Clarksville-Montgomery County school with one of the most prestigious honors.

Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools' Spanish Immersion at Barksdale has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

National Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for their academic excellence and staying "close to the real action of teaching and learning," according to the National Blue Ribbon Schools website .

“I am incredibly proud of the students, faculty, staff, administration, and families at Spanish Immersion Elementary School at Barksdale for this outstanding achievement,” said CMCSS Director of Schools Jean Luna-Vedder. “CMCSS is committed to improving outcomes for all students and providing choices for families."

Blue Ribbon winners are determined by one of two performing categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High-Performing Schools are the state's highest-performing schools as measured by assessments or nationally normed tests
• Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are the state's highest-performing schools in closing the achievement gaps between all students, including those experiencing financial hardships, students of color, immigrants, and others.

Six Tennessee schools were among the 365 nationwide recognized this year.

Last year, the Department of Education in Tennessee named Middle College at Austin Peay State University one of six National Blue Ribbon Schools.

"Having two of our schools of choice awarded with this distinction demonstrates the strength of our options," said Luna-Vedder. "We will continue strengthening academics at all schools in CMCSS, expanding our schools and programs of choice, and supporting additional schools as they achieve National Blue Ribbon School awards in the future.”

Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32 . Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Clarksville's Spanish Immersion at Barksdale school recognized for excellence for 2nd year