Correction: Sanborn Elementary School was named a Blue Ribbon School in 1992 and 2010. A previous version of this story said West Middle School was the first Andover school to receive the honor. Andover News regrets the error.
The U.S. Department of Education chose West Middle School as one of its more than 350 Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023. The schools “set a national example for what it means to Raise the Bar in education,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a news release.
“The award is a reflection of our deep commitment as a school community to lifting students up across all demographics to perform at a high academic level,” West Middle Principal Timothy Corkery said. “We thank our educators for their unwavering dedication to making Andover West Middle School a more equitable place for all students.”
West was named for its efforts to use the pandemic to close achievement gaps. Over the past seven years, the number of economically disadvantaged students and students living in households where English is not the primary language has doubled.
In a news release, Andover Public Schools sad low-income students scored at the 93rd percentile, English language learners at the 87th percentile; and Hispanic students at the 89th percentile in 2022.
“The Blue Ribbon award is more than just a prestigious honor,” Superintendent Magda Parvey said. “It’s a recognition of the values that make our school district special – from our commitment to giving all students the tools they need to achieve academic excellence to celebrating the diversity of our community.”
A list of the 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools is available on the U. S. Department of Education’s website. Photographs and brief descriptions of the 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools.
File photo: Andover Public Schools
This is a great honor for students and faculty! I thought “West is Best” was for West Elementary?