A comprehensive high school in Queens, the elementary school once run by former chancellor Carmen Fariña, and two Success Academy charter schools are among the latest New York City schools to be named “Blue Ribbon” schools by the U.S. Education Department.
The status is awarded annually to schools that have test scores in the top 15 percent in their state and no significant gaps among students from different demographics, or that have shown “extraordinary progress” in closing those gaps. Of this year’s 349 winners across the country, six are run by New York City’s education department and two are Success Academy charter schools.
The local winners are a diverse group: Some — including P.S. 6, where Fariña was once principal — are located in tony neighborhoods and serve mostly affluent families. At others, such as Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx, virtually all students come from low-income families.
The honor does not bring any financial rewards but is considered a feather in the cap for schools that earn it — and local schools quickly touted their accomplishment.
“We are humbled by this incredible honor, and we look forward to continuing to serve our students and their families for the foreseeable future,” Maspeth High School Principal Khurshid Abdul-Mutakabbir said in a statement.
In a detailed press release, Success Academy noted that Success Academy Harlem 2 is the fourth Harlem Success school to receive Blue Ribbon status. And just as it did last week when Success posted sky-high state test scores, the network called attention to its arts, chess, and character education programs — not just how it prepares students for testing.
Here’s this year’s full list of local Blue Ribbon schools:
- College of Staten Island High School for International Studies, Staten Island
- Concourse Village Elementary School, the Bronx
- Maspeth High School, Queens
- M.S. 216, the George J. Ryan School, Queens
- P.S. 6, the Lillie Devereaux Blake School, Manhattan
- P.S. 183, the Robert Louis Stevenson School, Manhattan
- Success Academy Bed‐Stuy 1, Brooklyn
- Success Academy Harlem 2, Manhattan