It was announced this week that the U.S. Department of Education is officially discontinuing the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, ending a 43-year tradition of recognizing exemplary schools.
Since its inception, the Blue Ribbon Award has honored over 9,000 schools nationwide for academic excellence and closing achievement gaps. In Washington State, recipients include Holy Names Academy—a four-time honoree—and Northshore Christian Academy, the last private school recognized in 2019.
With the end of the federal Blue Ribbon Program, a significant avenue for recognizing private educational excellence has now closed.
Here is a list of the Blue Ribbon award winners in Washington:
