U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan designates 340 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2014 based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. These schools demonstrate that all students can achieve to high levels. The Department will honor 290 public and 50 private schools at a recognition ceremony on Nov. 10-11 in Washington, D.C. Each school will receive a plaque and a flag as symbols of their status as National Blue Ribbon Schools. In its 32-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this coveted award on just under 7,900 of America's schools.
![[downloadable files]](/images/ed_gl_download.gif){kind=small}