U.S. Dept. of Education recognizes eight MN schools

Eight Minnesota schools were recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022. The state is allotted eight nominations based on the number of K-12 students and schools in Minnesota.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program awards schools based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Both public and non-public schools are eligible, and schools can only be nominated for the award once within a five-year period. Public schools are nominated by their Chief State School Officer. Non-public schools interested in participating have to reach out to the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) for nomination consideration. Once nominated, the schools are invited to apply for the award.

Below are the award recipients with their linked applications.

Exemplary High-Performing Schools

Kimberly Lane Elementary, Wayzata school district (also awarded in 2007)

  • 84.4% math proficiency
  • 79.7% reading proficiency

Lincoln K-8 School, Rochester school district

  • 66% math proficiency
  • 63.7% reading proficiency

Lowell Elementary, Brainerd school district (also awarded in 2014)

  • 79.5% math proficiency
  • 70.5% reading proficiency

Maple River West Elementary, Maple River school district

  • 68.3% math proficiency
  • 61.9% reading proficiency

Seven Hills Preparatory Academy, charter school

  • 69.6% math proficiency
  • 73.9% reading proficiency

Springfield Elementary, Springfield school district

  • 84.7% math proficiency
  • 69.7% reading proficiency

Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools

Churchill Elementary, Cloquet school district

  • 67.1% math proficiency
  • 61.4% reading proficiency

The math achievement gap between white and American Indian students narrowed from 19.8 percentage points in 2021 to 10.6 percentage points in 2022, with proficiency among both student groups improving.

Lake Middle School, South Washington County school district

  • 58.5% math proficiency
  • 63.5% reading proficiency

The math achievement gap between white and black students narrowed from 28.1 percentage points in 2021 to 18.8 percentage points in 2022, with proficiency among both student groups improving. The math achievement gap between white students and students of 2+ races narrowed from 11.2 percentage points in 2021 to 1.3 percentage points in 2022, with proficiency among both student groups improving.