(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker are congratulating three Connecticut public schools for being named today by the U.S. Department of Education as 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools. This award is given annually to select schools across the nation for demonstrating overall high achievement or success in closing achievement gaps.

The three schools are:

“Connecticut’s public schools are considered among the best in the nation, and that is because of the top-quality teachers and staff in our school systems who provide a high level of learning that is helping our students achieve success,” Governor Lamont said. “Every child deserves access to a quality education that prepares them for achievement. There’s no doubt that we must continue working to close persistent achievement gaps, but I firmly believe that the strong work of so many of our educators is having an impact. I congratulate these three public schools in Madison, Meriden, and Shelton on earning this national distinction and I wish them continued success.”

“The Connecticut State Department of Education congratulates all of the schools named 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools,” Commissioner Russell-Tucker said. “These schools exemplify Connecticut’s dedication to fostering educational environments where all students can thrive and reach their full potential, preparing them for academic success as well as life and work beyond school. Congratulations to the students, educators, and school leaders on this prestigious honor and for their continued pursuit of excellence.”

The Connecticut State Department of Education uses data from the Next Generation Accountability System to nominate schools for the National Blue Ribbon School (NBRS) award. Current recipients were nominated based on 2022-2023 accountability results. Nominated schools must complete an application process and be approved by the U.S. Department of Education. All selected schools in Connecticut were designated as Schools of Distinction. National Blue Ribbon Schools are identified in two categories: Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing and Exemplary High Performing.

Daniel Hand High School (Madison) – Exemplary High Performing

Daniel Hand High School serves 776 students in Grades 9 to 12. The school has demonstrated strong overall performance since the inception of the Next Generation Accountability System in 2014-2015. The school’s accountability index, which is a percentage of possible points earned, has exceeded the target of 85 every year. The accountability index in 2022-2023 was 88.4%, resulting in School of Distinction status for the second consecutive year.

In 2022-2023, Daniel Hand High School earned all possible points on seven indicators of the accountability report. Nearly all Grade 9 students earned six or more credits, placing them on-track to high school graduation within four years (Indicator 7). Students exceeded state targets established for the percentage of students enrolling in courses that lead to college and career readiness as well as participation in arts coursework (Indicators 5 and 12). Graduation rates are strong for all students and students with high needs, a group that includes students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students from low-income families (Indicators 8 and 9). More than 80% of the class of 2022 entered a postsecondary institution within a year of graduation (Indicator 10).

The school’s chronic absenteeism rate was 2.1% for all students and 5.6% for students with high needs (Indicator 4) in 2022-2023. These rates suggest that students at Daniel Hand High School are engaged and ready to learn. In the NBRS application, school administrators highlighted the importance of listening to and acting on student input. One approach used to learn what students need is through communication with the Student Leadership group. This group is comprised of about forty students and meets monthly with the school administration. These student representatives serving as liaisons to the student body are consulted prior to making school improvement and program decisions.

Israel Putnam Elementary School (Meriden) – Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing

Israel Putnam School is one of four elementary schools in Meriden serving students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Of the 482 students enrolled, approximately 80% are eligible for free or reduced priced meals and 19% are multilingual learners, speaking at least nine different languages.

This school earned School of Distinction status for two consecutive years due to strong academic growth. In 2022-2023, students were in the top ten percent of schools in terms of growth in mathematics for all students and students with high needs, and in reading this was true for students with high needs. On average, students achieved approximately 88% of their growth targets in mathematics. The 2022-2023 growth scores in mathematics were the highest to date for this school.

While there is a strong focus on alignment of core instruction to national and state standards, Israel Putnam educators acknowledge the importance of providing students with experiences beyond the regular curriculum during and outside of the school day. Ten years ago, they established the first Meriden Elementary School Drama Club. Club members today continue to be involved in every aspect of production fostering student confidence, communication skills, creativity, and a love for the arts. The school also offers a range of monthly enrichment opportunities for students. Staff volunteer to lead specific activities and students choose from those options. Offerings have included cupcake decorating, board games, world languages, crafts, fitness activities, science, cooking, yoga, coloring mandalas, and much more.

Sunnyside Elementary School (Shelton) – Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing

Sunnyside School is a small neighborhood school in Shelton. The school enrolls 224 students in Kindergarten through Grade 4. Nearly half of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals and 15.6% of students are multilingual learners.

Sunnyside has earned School of Distinction status annually since 2015-2016. In 2022-2023, academic growth for Sunnyside students was among the top ten percent of schools in mathematics and reading for all students and students with high needs. The school’s overall accountability index in 2022-2023 was 80, meaning that the school earned 80% of all possible points. Contributing to the index was overall reading and math performance that approached the designated state targets with the school earning over 90% of possible points for all students in both subjects.

Sunnyside has developed a strong professional culture that promotes trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement through Instructional Rounds. Instructional Rounds are modeled after a similar practice used in medicine. At Sunnyside, a group of educators travels in a small group to observe teaching and learning throughout the building. The classroom visits are brief and are not evaluative. The group reflects on the instruction observed as well as student engagement in the process. Finally, the team discusses their observations and the impact on learning. This authentic professional learning activity provides teachers with the opportunity to learn from their peers.

For more information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, visit nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov.