Governor Lamont Announces Establishment of the Connecticut Blue Ribbon Schools Program

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Ned Lamont today announced that due to the recent termination by the Trump administration of the U.S. Department of Education's (USDE) National Blue Ribbon Schools Program - which for more than four decades has honored and celebrated the top performing schools across the United States - the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) under the leadership of Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker is establishing the Connecticut Blue Ribbon Schools Program to continue the tradition of recognizing and highlighting schools that are excelling in academic success.

Four public schools have been selected as the 2025 recipients of this honor. Each of these schools were nominated by CSDE earlier this year for the national program before USDE announced that it was being discontinued. The honorees include:

"Congratulations to this year's honorees on earning this well-deserved distinction, which highlights the extraordinary teaching and learning taking place every day in their classrooms," Governor Lamont. "I also want to thank Commissioner Russell-Tucker for ensuring that this important recognition continues here in Connecticut, even as the federal program has come to a close, so that we can honor and uplift the great work happening in our schools."

"This announcement provides the opportunity to highlight what is possible when educators, students, families, and communities work together effectively," Commissioner Russell-Tucker said. "Their collective efforts serve as the foundation for student success."

CSDE used data from the Next Generation Accountability System to nominate schools for the award. Current recipients were nominated based on 2023-2024 accountability results. All selected schools in Connecticut were designated as Schools of Distinction. There are two categories of schools for this award: Exemplary High Performing and Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing. Three of Connecticut's four schools earning the Connecticut Blue Ribbon School award were identified in both categories.

House of Arts, Letters, and Science (HALS) Academy (New Britain) - Exemplary High Performing

HALS Academy is a small middle school serving 152 gifted and high-achieving students from New Britain. This school enrolls students in Grades 6-8, more than half of whom are eligible for free or reduced priced meals. Students at HALS have demonstrated consistently high performance over many years, earning HALS School of Distinction status every year since 2016-2017.

The school's accountability index, which is a percentage of possible points earned, was 87.9 in 2023-2024, the highest index value for the school since 2015-2016. The accountability index value is driven in part by mathematics, English language arts, and science achievement that exceeds the state target for all students and students with high needs. Academic growth in mathematics also was its strongest to date in 2023-2024 with students on average achieving nearly 90 percent of their growth targets. Finally, less than 3% of students were chronically absent, a rate lower than every year reported for this school since 2016-2017.

HALS Academy meets the needs of their middle school learners by creating a small learning community where students feel increasingly connected to the staff and their peers during their time at HALS. To this end, educators loop with their students, meaning teachers follow their students through the middle school grades. This allows teachers and students to forge strong relationships and avoid some of the transitions experienced by students during this important time. The counseling office is situated in the middle of the main hallway providing visibility and accessibility for all students. School counselors work in partnership with the social worker and school-based health center staff to support the whole student, creating the conditions for students to reach their full potential.

Gildersleeve School (Portland) - Exemplary High Performing and Achievement Gap Closing

Gildersleeve School serves Portland's 253 students enrolled in Grades 2-4. Forty-three percent of students are considered students with high needs, defined as students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and/or from low-income families. This school was identified as a Focus school in 2018-2019 based on mathematics growth for their students with high needs. Since that time, academic growth in mathematics and English language arts for all students and students with high needs has increased significantly. The school credits this success to professional learning teams formed with the purpose of refining instruction and implementing evidence-based strategies to meet the academic needs of all students. This has led to Gildersleeve's identification as a School of Distinction in multiple categories in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.

The Gildersleeve community also tends to the social-emotional development of their students. Each month, there is a whole-school assembly led by students that introduces a new social-emotional learning (SEL) topic. These monthly meetings are the springboard for weekly SEL classes led by the school social worker and reinforced by classroom teachers throughout their lessons. The Gildersleeve mascot is a bee. Students earn "Way to Bee" cards for demonstrating SEL skills during their daily interactions with peers. The program fosters positive behaviors and a strong sense of belonging. Gildersleeve students want to be in school, and the data support that. Chronic absenteeism rates improved from 13.3% in 2021-2022 to 3% in 2023-2024.

Green Acres Elementary School (North Haven) - Exemplary High Performing and Achievement Gap Closing

Green Acres is one of four elementary schools in North Haven. There are 404 students enrolled in Grades PK through 5. About 40% of students are students with high needs. In 2023-2024, the school earned an overall accountability index of 85.6, the highest value earned by this school since 2015-2016. The accountability system includes subject performance indices (SPI) for English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science. The SPI target for all schools and student groups is 75, which is an indication that on average students are performing solidly in the desired achievement level. In 2023-2024, Green Acres students exceeded SPI targets for the all students group in ELA, math, and science. Students with high needs are closing in and achieving at least 95% of the SPI target in all subjects. Given the strong overall performance and particularly strong growth in ELA, Green Acres earned School of Distinction status for three consecutive years.

Green Acres credits their success to collaboration and consistency. They work to build and maintain strong partnerships among students, families, teachers, administrators, curriculum coordinators and instructional coaches. These relationships have supported the challenging shift toward a structured literacy approach to instruction. Each day there is an instructional routine that gives students what they need. Students requiring extra support are provided Scientific Research Based Intervention (SRBI) services by interventionists while classroom teachers and coaches are providing targeted instruction and enrichment to small groups of students. Interventionists and classroom teachers monitor student progress carefully and communicate results to parents regularly. The process is designed to be fluid so that students can enter and exit support as needed.

Weston Intermediate School (Weston) - Exemplary High Performing and Achievement Gap Closing

Weston Intermediate School (WIS) enrolls 478 students in Grades 3 through 5. Approximately 18% of students are students with high needs. The school's accountability index of 88.5 in 2023-2024 was the highest recorded for WIS since 2015-2016. For three consecutive years, WIS has been identified as a School of Distinction, but 2023-2024 was a particularly strong year with WIS earning School of Distinction status in all possible categories. In terms of academic achievement for all students, the school exceeded the SPI target of 75 in ELA, math, and science, and the trendlines are on an upward trajectory post-pandemic. Students with high needs earned their highest SPIs in ELA and mathematics compared to all previous years.

The data suggest that WIS students are thriving. The expert educators of WIS believe that "students thrive when they feel seen, heard, and valued." In every classroom, teachers emphasize student voice and the student's active role in learning. This is evident in the high degree of choice students have when selecting books to read and topics to research. In mathematics, students are at the heart of problem-solving with teachers serving as facilitators who encourage rich discussions. Science lessons are inquiry-driven and unit design for social studies prioritizes student curiosity, engagement, and voice. WIS describes what sets their school apart as their "commitment to innovative and creative programs that enhance the educational experience" while valuing student interest.

In prior years, schools that received the National Blue Ribbon award would have attended a convening in Washington, D.C. to celebrate their accomplishments with the USDE secretary and exchange ideas with educators from across the country. Though such a national convening will not occur, CSDE will instead host an awards recognition and celebration luncheon for the four schools on October 8 in North Haven.