PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The U.S. Education Department has awarded National Blue Ribbon honors to four area schools, including Philadelphia’s Central High School.
It’s the third time in Central’s storied history that the Philly magnet has earned National Blue Ribbon recognition. Central was named a Blue Ribbon school in 1987 and 2011.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event in a principal’s career,” Central President Kate Davis told KYW Newsradio. “It is not only an accomplishment for my teachers and my students, but for our entire school community.”
Blue Ribbon schools are recognized for outstanding academic performance, or for closing achievement gaps. Davis said the U.S. Education Department examined information about Central’s instructional programs, advanced classes and extracurricular activities before awarding Central the honor.
Central High School bills itself as the “second oldest continuously public high school” in the nation.
Students do need to meet academic criteria to be admitted to Central, but Davis said the job only begins there.
“We are a school that has requirements for admissions,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean we get the highest marks on everything. We really do a lot of work to make sure each year we’re cultivating a more supportive environment for students, whether we’re talking about their emotional health, mental health, their academic success, all of the above.”
Central is one of 13 schools in Pennsylvania and 356 across the nation to receive Blue Ribbon recognition.
Three suburban schools also received Blue Ribbon honors: Springfield High in Delaware County, Holy Family School in Phoenixville and the Upper Perkiomen School District’s Marlborough Elementary in Green Lane. No South Jersey or northern Delaware schools made the Blue Ribbon list this year.