Schools

These four Mass. schools received the national Blue Ribbon award

“These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students' lives."

By Abby Patkin

updated on November 23, 2022

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Four Massachusetts schools were among the 2022 National Blue Ribbon School Award recipients recognized this month for exemplary teaching and learning.

Brookline’s Edith C. Baker Elementary School, Acton-Boxborough’s Luther Conant School, Chestnut Hill’s Mount Alvernia Academy, and Saugus’s Pioneer Charter School of Science II (PCSS II) were four of the 297 public and private schools to receive the U.S. Department of Education award.

The schools were fêted in a Washington, D.C. awards ceremony Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. 

The award is based on a school’s overall academic performance, or its progress in closing achievement gaps among groups of students, according to a Department of Education press release. 

“Blue Ribbon Schools have gone above and beyond to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a September statement. “These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students’ lives.”

Acton-Boxborough schools have won the award a handful of times, stretching back to the 1980s, when the program was in its infancy. 

Mount Alvernia Academy, which falls under the Archdiocese of Boston, was also named a Blue Ribbon school in 2015. 

“We are so proud of our students, faculty, and staff for all they have done to make this award possible … AGAIN!” the private school said on its website. 

Saugus and Brookline each celebrated their first Blue Ribbon awards.

“A National Blue Ribbon School recognition is … widely acknowledged as a symbol of exemplary teaching and learning,” the Public Schools of Brookline said in a statement. “As such, we are excited to share and model these effective practices and developments — not only with our peers in Brookline, but with other schools and educators in our nation!”

In a statement to Boston.com, Brookline Superintendent Dr. Linus Guillory added: “I am so pleased that the deliberate, student-centered work that the Baker School is doing has been recognized by bestowing this prestigious honor on them.”

He continued, “Principal [Torrance] Lewis and the Baker staff work tirelessly to support and enhance student learning and experiences within the community.”

PCSS II marked the win with a blue ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, WBZ reported. 

“The hard work and passion of the entire PCSS community — students, teachers, and family members — made it possible for our school to receive this honor,” the school said on its website, adding, “Job well-done, pirates!”