BATON ROUGE - University High is one of the seven Louisiana schools named 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced Friday.

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The U.S. Department of Education today announced seven Louisiana schools have been named 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The winning Louisiana schools are located in Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, St. Landry, and St. Tammany parishes. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.

“Louisiana’s National Blue Ribbon Schools represent the level of quality and choice available to families in our state,” said State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. “Congratulations to these schools and thank you to these educators for cultivating an environment where the top priority is student success.”

Three Louisiana schools are recognized as "Exemplary High Performing." This award recognizes schools who rank in the top 15% of the state on academic indicators and graduation rates. The schools must also be in the top 40% for subgroup performance. School performance scores, subgroup scores and graduation rates are used in the ranking system. These schools include:

• LSU Laboratory School | Laboratory Schools (Baton Rouge)
• South Highlands Elementary Magnet School | Caddo Parish Schools
• St. James Episcopal Day School | Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana (Baton Rouge)

Four Louisiana schools are recognized as "Exemplary Growth." This award recognizes schools that showed significant growth for subgroups. They must rank in the top 15% for one or more subgroups and they must rank in the top 40% of the state for each subgroup. School performance scores, percentage of growth toward mastery on reading and mathematics, and graduation rates are used in the ranking system. These schools include:

• Folsom Elementary School | St. Tammany Parish Schools
• Frasch Elementary School | Calcasieu Parish Schools
• Grand Prairie Elementary School | St. Landry Parish Schools
• Myrtle Place Elementary | Lafayette Parish Schools

With its 39th cohort, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 

10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools. The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms and validates the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in striving for – and attaining – exemplary achievement.

National Blue Ribbon Schools serve as models of effective school practices for state and district educators and other schools throughout the nation. A National Blue Ribbon School flag gracing a school’s entryway or on a flagpole is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.

In total, 297 schools were recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022. The Department invites nominations for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award from the top education officials in all states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.

Photographs and brief descriptions of the 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available at  https://www.nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/.