OCEAN VIEW –The celebration is on at Lord Baltimore Elementary School in Ocean View, one of three schools in Delaware and 353 nationwide to be named a National Blue Ribbon School for 2023.

This is the second National Blue Ribbon award for Lord Baltimore, which was first honored in 2001. It is the Indian River School District’s 12th Blue Ribbon Award in the past 22 years, according to a district press release.

“It is a great honor for Lord Baltimore to be nominated as a 2023 Blue Ribbon School as an Exemplary High Performing School,” said Lord Baltimore Principal Pam Webb. “We are proud to be one of three elementary schools in the state to join this esteemed community of National Blue Ribbon Schools.

Ms. Webb continued, “Receiving this prestigious award affirms the dedication and hard work of each and every educator at LB. The relationships we have established with our families, students and community foster a positive learning environment to meet the needs of our students academically, behaviorally and socially. We look forward to celebrating this school year!”

IRSD Superintendent Dr. Jay Owens applauded Lord Baltimore’s recognition.

“We are overjoyed at Lord Baltimore Elementary receiving the prestigious National Blue Ribbon School Award,” Dr. Owens said. “Being ranked among the best schools in the United States is no small accomplishment and I commend the Lord Baltimore staff, students and families for the commitment and dedication that produced this honor. You have truly made the Indian River School District proud.”

With its 40th cohort, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,700 schools.

The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms and validates the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in striving for – and attaining – exemplary achievement. National Blue Ribbon Schools represent the full diversity of American schools and serve students of every background.

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High-Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students. Nominated schools also complete an extensive narrative application describing their school culture and philosophy, curriculum, assessments, instructional practices, professional development, leadership structures, and parent and community involvement.

Lord Baltimore was a winner in the Exemplary High Performing Schools category.

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The department invites nominations for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education.