Two New Jersey high schools were honored as National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education, a prestigious award given to just 50 high schools nationally.
Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft (Monmouth County) and the Academy for Allied Health Sciences in Scotch Plains (Union) were cited.
Fifteen middle and elementary schools in the state also were honored and among the 342 total schools given the award. (See list below.)
The designation, now in its 35th year, is awarded for two reasons:
- Exemplary high-performing schools are among their state’s highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
- Exemplary achievement gap closing schoolsare among their state’s highest-performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years.
Only 19 states had a high school earn the award, with New York (13), Texas (6) and California (6) leading the way. Only two other states had more than two: Pennsylvania (4) and Illinois (3).
Overall, 292 public and 50 private schools were honored.
Here is the list of the elementary and middle schools in the state to be honored:
- Eugene A. Tighe Middle School, Margate (Atlantic)
- Peter Academy, River Edge (Bergen)
- Berkeley Avenue Elementary School, Westwood (Bergen)
- Our Lady of the Lake School, Verona (Essex)
- All Saints Catholic Academy, Bayonne (Hudson)
- Hoboken Catholic Academy, Hoboken (Hudson)
- Academy I Middle School, Jersey City (Hudson)
- Littlebrook Elementary School, Princeton (Mercer)
- Cheesequake Elementary School, Matawan (Middlesex)
- Saint Francis Cathedral School, Metuchen (Middlesex)
- Sea Girt Elementary School, Sea Girt (Monmouth)
- Briarcliff Middle School, Mountain Lakes (Morris)
- Cedar Hill Preparatory School, Somerset (Somerset)
- Woodland School, Warren (Somerset)
- The Academy of Our Lady of Peace, New Providence (Union)
