Saint Ignatius Loyola School (Google Maps)
Two Upper East Side schools were named National Blue Ribbon schools this year.
Saint Ignatius Loyola School, located at 48 East 84th Street (between Park and Madison avenues), and PS 77 Lower Lab School, located at 1700 Third Avenue (between 95th and 96th streets), were among the 21 New York schools given the honor. A total of 356 schools across the country were named on the list.
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“On behalf of the Board of Regents, I would like to congratulate the 21 New York State public elementary, middle, and high schools that were named 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools,” Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young Jr. said in a statement released Tuesday.
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In a letter to her school’s community, Mary Larkin, the head of school at Saint Ignatius Loyola, congratulated students and faculty on their collective effort.
“This recognition does not happen in isolation,” she wrote, according to the Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York website. “It is through hard work of the faculty and students.”
PS 77 Lower Lab School (Google Maps)
The National Blue Ribbon Schools program singles out public and private elementary, middle and high schools based on academic excellence–“or their progress in closing achievement gaps among students”–according to the United States Department of Education.
“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of these schools,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a press release. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities.”
Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. Each nominated institution submits a report detailing its “culture, programs, assessments, instructional practices, professional development, leadership, family and community involvement.”
Last year, the Department of Education honored 22 New York schools. Neither Upper East Side school included in the 2024 list were included in 2023’s roundup.
East Side Feed reached out to PS 77 Lower Lab School for comment but did not hear back by press time.
