NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) – Congratulations to four outstanding schools that can now call themselves National Blue Ribbon Schools 2024.

Jordan Elementary School in Brentwood, Spanish Immersion at Barksdale in Clarksville, Merrol Hyde Magnet School in Hendersonville and Early College High School in Nashville are the Middle Tennessee schools that received the prestigious award. Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge and Miller Perry Elementary School in Kingsport were also selected.

We are fortunate to be able to provide our children with high-performing schools.

The schools chosen for this prestigious award were chosen based on their performance on state exams or national standardized tests, and their students and staff are truly above-average performers. For comparison, there are 1,700 public schools in the state of Tennessee.

As the name suggests, students at Early College High School earn a high school diploma and an associate degree in four years.

Brian Stewart is a math teacher at the Metro Nashville School on the campus of Nashville State Community College.

“The idea is you start early and you succeed early. And we want to plant those seeds early in academics to prepare them for life,” Brian Stewart said. “If you think about it, when you get to high school, you have four years to prepare for a whole life, and this is a great opportunity to prepare for anything.”

Seventeen-year-old Sayra Vazquez-Reyes, a 12th grader at Early College High School studying to become a financial advisor, is happy to receive a first-class education.

“Our teachers work hard to prepare us and get us ready for life. I actually expected my school to win such an award, but I did not expect it at the national level,” said Sayra Vazquez-Reyes.

The U.S. Department of Education today recognized 356 schools as the Class of 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of the students and teachers at each of these schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools raise the bar for our nation’s students and serve as models of effective instruction and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. As we celebrate their achievements, we should look to these schools for inspiration as we advocate for education as the foundation for a better future for every child.”

Jordan Elementary School in Williamson County opened just seven years ago.

“We set a goal to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in our first year. It is great to see our efforts recognized at the national level,” said Principal Chad Walker.

Spanish Immersion Elementary School in Barksdale is the second school in the Clarksville-Montgomery County school system to receive this award in two years.

“Having two of our dream schools receive this award demonstrates the strength of our capabilities,” said School Principal Jean Luna-Vedder. “We will continue to strengthen academics at all CMCSS schools, expand our dream schools and programs, and support additional schools as they receive the National Blue Ribbon School designation in the future.”

The National Blue Ribbon Award can only be won every six years. This is Merrol Hyde’s third consecutive win, having previously won the title in 2012 and 2018.

“It was never about the awards for us, but about ensuring our students are prepared to succeed both academically and personally. We are deeply grateful for this recognition, but the real reward is seeing our students succeed both in the classroom and beyond,” said Principal Darren Frank.

The U.S. Department of Education honored 356 schools. The awards ceremony will take place in November in Washington, DC.

He helped people with his candid articles about cancer. His legacy lives on.

I grew up in a small town that had a small town newspaper. These reporters know the town perhaps better than anyone else – the city officials, the high school superstars, the troublemakers, the people who made a difference. Forrest Sanders tells us a beautiful story of life and death and the lasting legacy of a small town reporter and his written words.

-Carrie Sharp