Two NOLA-PS Schools Named 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools

(New Orleans – September 21, 2021) — NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) is proud to announce Lake Forest Elementary and Benjamin Franklin High School were recognized as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).

Both schools are among a total of 325 schools honored as an "Exemplary High Performing School," who are among the state's highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. The recognition is based on a school's overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

"We are extremely proud of Lake Forest Elementary and Benjamin Franklin High School. These schools have exceptional leadership and educators that help our students achieve academic success," said Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. "We applaud them for their efforts and everything they've had to overcome during the pandemic to achieve this honor."

Both schools are no stranger to receiving this award. Lake Forest received the honor in 2013 and Ben Franklin High Schools has received the recognition 4 times.

"We are so thrilled and honored to be recognized once again as a National Blue Ribbon School," said Lake Forest Charter School Founding CEO Mardele Early. "This recognition is truly because of our outstanding students, staff and teachers who work hard every day to make us a top performing school."

"We are honored to be chosen as a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School," said Head of School Dr. Patrick Widhalm. "Although we have won this award four times previously, somehow this time is especially meaningful given the challenging circumstances we have navigated over the past two years. In order to be meaningful, a tradition of excellence must be renewed for each generation of students. Congratulations to the outstanding faculty, staff, and students and thank you to parents and alumni."

The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content. Now in its 39th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.

On November 4-5, the Secretary and the Department of Education will celebrate school honorees at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

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About NOLA Public Schools: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish. It includes the district's administration and elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 76 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.

For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.