2021 Blue Ribbon Schools Include Springfield School

SPRINGFIELD, VA — A school in the Burke-Springfield area has been named a 2021 Blue Ribbon School. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program from the U.S. Department of Education recognizes schools for overall academic excellence or closing achievement gaps.

Sangster Elementary in Springfield is one of seven Blue Ribbon Schools in Virginia in 2021. Other 2021 Blue Ribbon Schools in Virginia include Elydale Middle School in Ewing, Greendale Elementary School in Abingdon, Mary G. Porter Traditional School in Woodbridge, Meadows Of Dan Elementary School in Meadows of Dan, Northern Shores Elementary School in Suffolk, and Windsor Oaks Elementary School in Virginia Beach.

Sangster was categorized as an exemplary high performing school" based on high reading and mathematics achievement in the 2018-2019 school year, according to a FCPS news release. The school closed the achievement gap in math by 15 percent for special education students.

Sangster is also recognized as a Model Professional Learning Community school with teams providing high quality tier one instruction. It is a Virginia Distinguished Purple Star School for supporting students from around 150 military families.

"At Sangster, we believe that student success is a result of the shared partnership between school, parents, and the community," said Sangster principal Allison Jankovich in a statement. "Sangster's strength lies in the welcoming and celebratory environment it strives to create, where everyone who walks through its doors knows that they are valued and appreciated."

Over 39 years, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has given the designation 10,000 times to over 9,000 schools. Some schools have gotten the award more than once. It is open to public and private elementary, middle, and high schools.

The U.S. Department of Education recognized 325 Blue Ribbon Schools in 2021. These include 302 public schools and 23 private schools 45 U.S. states and the District of Colombia as well as Department of Defense Education Activity schools in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, West Point, New York, and Belgium.

Chief school officers of states, territories, Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of Defense Education Activity could nominate public schools for Blue Ribbon status. At least a third of these nominees had to be schools with a high percentage of disadvantaged students. The Council for American Private Education could nominate private schools.

"The National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content," the U.S. Department of Education's website states. "The National Blue Ribbon Schools flag gracing a school's building is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning."

Blue Ribbon Schools will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, DC on Nov. 4 and 5.