Five South Florida schools have been named National Blue Ribbon schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
Two schools in Miami-Dade County, one in Broward County and two in Palm Beach County joined more than 330 other schools on the national list.
The five winning South Florida schools include a magnet school, two charter schools and two private schools.
They are Miami-Dade’s Mater Gardens Academy and Doral Performing Arts and Entertainment Academy, Broward County’s Westminster Academy and Morikami Park Elementary, and The King’s Academy in Palm Beach County.
Statewide, just one of the nine Florida schools chosen as Blue Ribbon schools is a traditional public school.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says Blue Ribbon schools can lead the way for others.
“Please, share what you know," Duncan said during the award announcement. "Your schools are setting high expectations for all learners. And I challenge you to become engines of educational innovation.”
Schools earn National Blue Ribbon status through consistently high achievement, or by closing the educational differences between minority students and their peers. They’re judged based on test results and high school graduation rates.
All five South Florida schools were chosen for their high achievement. Only schools with test results in the top 15 percent of the country qualify.
