Five Iowa schools are among the nearly three-hundred around the country that’ve been named “Blue Ribbon” schools by the federal government. The schools are recognized by the feds for “closing the achievement gap” between minority and white students, or for having students that achieve at “very high” levels. The schools honored in Iowa were Hawthorne Elementary in Keokuk, Weber Elementary School in Iowa City, Madison Elementary in Muscatine, Pella High School, and the Whiting Senior High School. The schools were recognized for one of two reasons. At least 40 percent of their students came from a “disadvantaged background” and those students’ test scores grew dramatically. Or the school’s student body had to score in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests. The schools get a certificate.
