Atlanta Elementary named a Blue Ribbon School nominee

Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency announced the nomination of 26 Texas public schools as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

“These 26 schools exemplify academic excellence, and I thank the teachers, staff, administrators, students, and parents for their outstanding work,” said Governor Abbott. “We have a responsibility to ensure that every Texas student graduates with the knowledge to succeed in college or a career, which is why last session we passed transformative legislation to invest more money into our classrooms and give our teachers a pay raise. This session we will build on these accomplishments to ensure that every Texas student receives a quality education regardless of their zip code.”

Initiated by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that have high student achievement and/or highlights where exemplary progress has been made in closing achievement gaps among student subpopulations. Since the program’s founding, 9,000 schools across the nation have received this prestigious designation.

In the Lone Star State, public schools are considered for nomination based on student performance on the first administration of the previous year’s STAAR assessments. Each nominated school has an economically disadvantaged population of 25 percent or more.

Atlanta Elementary received the nomination based on their exemplary achievement in closing the gaps. Closing the gaps is also referred to as closing achievement gaps which are differences in educational success in reading and math that exist between students as a result of poverty, English language proficiency, disability, race, or ethnicity

Our goal is to create a level playing field for all students regardless of their circumstances. Atlanta ISD believes all students are capable of great things!

Dena McCord is the principal at Atlanta Elementary School. When congratulated on the award and asked for a comment, her reply was “I have the best staff ever at AES and they make it all possible.”

AISD Superintendent Sidney Harrist says this recognition is one of the top honors a school can receive. “We are extremely honored to be recognized for the hard work put forth by our students and staff every day. We know this would not be possible without the support of our community, and we are excited for the opportunity to show what Rabbit Pride represents.”

Atlanta Elementary will complete a rigorous application process conducted by the United States Department of Education over the next two months. National award winners will be announced in September of 2021.