Bowie Elementary School Earns National Blue Ribbon Award

BOWIE, MD — A Bowie elementary school has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for its academic excellence in the 2016 list of National Blue Ribbon Schools.

Saint Pius X Regional School, a private Catholic elementary school at 14710 Annapolis Road, made the list of 2016 National Blue Ribbon award winners that was released Sept. 28. The school is one of 329 that were honored across the United States this year, and one of just 50 private schools.

"National Blue Ribbon Schools are proof that we can prepare every child for college and meaningful careers, U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said in a statement. "Your schools are on the cutting edge, pioneering innovative educational practices—professional learning communities, project-based learning, social and emotional learning, positive behavior systems—making you shining examples for your communities, your state and the nation."

This is the 34th year of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The school will be honored at an awards ceremony in nearby Washington, D.C. on Nov. 7 and 8.

The schools are recognized in two categories:

"Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests," the statement reads. "Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state's highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school's subgroups and all students over the past five years."

Image via Archdiocese of Washington