The Arizona Charter Schools Association celebrates the announcement that Desert View Academy in Yuma has been named among the 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
The coveted Blue Ribbon honor is awarded annually to schools across the country that demonstrate exemplary achievements in overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among students. This year, Desert View Academy is among 325 schools nationwide – including five in Arizona – to earn this distinction.
“On behalf of the Association, I commend and congratulate the educators, students and families of Desert View Academy for this well-deserved achievement,” said Jake Logan, President and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association. “You have truly raised the bar and made your school a national model for academic excellence – and you’ve made Yuma and all of Arizona proud.”
“This is an incredible honor and testament to the outstanding work Desert View Academy has done to create a safe, challenging and high-quality educational environment for its students,” said Rick Ogston, CEO of Desert View Schools. “We are grateful for this recognition, and proud to be a part of an incredible charter school community that works every day to provide quality educational opportunity for all Arizona families.”
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Every year the U. S. Department of Education seeks out and celebrates great American schools, schools demonstrating that all students can achieve to high levels.
The Department recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:
- 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 Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.
Additional information – including background on the Blue Ribbon program, the nomination process and a list of all 2021 recipients – can be viewed here.
