Established in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon Schools (NBRS) Program recognizes public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. The Department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in all States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education (CAPE).

All schools, representing the full diversity of American schools, including charter schools, magnet/choice schools, Title I schools, parochial, and independent schools are eligible in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state's highest performing schools (top 15%) in Reading/English and Mathematics as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.

Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools have made the greatest advances in closing achievement gaps (top 15%) between a school's subgroups and all students in Reading/English and Mathematics as measured by state assessments.

The program also honors a handful of awardee principals with the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership. A list of current and past awardees including recent awardee applications, school profiles, and excerpts from applications on promising practices can be found at the NBRS Program website. Please contact the NBRS Program directly if you have any additional questions.

Founded in 1983, the President's Education Awards Program (PEAP) honors graduating elementary, middle, and high school students for their achievement and hard work. The program has provided individual recognition from the President and the U.S. Secretary of Education to those students whose outstanding efforts have enabled them to meet challenging standards of excellence. Each year, thousands of elementary, middle, and high schools participate by recognizing deserving students.

Please note, school principals play a leading role and have sole discretion in choosing recipients, not employees at the U.S. Department of Education. Program guidelines, criteria and ordering information are available at http://www.peap-aca.org. We recommend reviewing the PEAP FAQs or contacting the PEAP office for further guidance.

The Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award recognizes and promotes the commitment and excellence exhibited by full or part-time classified school employees (public and non-public) who provide exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school.

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) invites the governor of each State and the chief executive of the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Outlying Areas to nominate up to two classified school employees by November 1 annually. Governors must document nominees' performance in the following areas: (A) Work performance; (B) School and community involvement; (C) Leadership and commitment; (D) Local support (from co-workers, school administrators, community members, etc., who speak to the nominee's exemplary work); (E) Enhancement of classified school employees' image in the community and schools.

The Secretary of Education will select a single classified school employee to receive the RISE Award for that school year by the following spring. The Department will communicate the selectee's story in order to inspire other innovative practices and excellence among classified school employees.

For information on being nominated by your State, contact your governor's office. You may also review our RISE FAQs.

Since it was created in 2011, the aim of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) recognition award is to inspire schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions to strive for 21st century excellence by highlighting promising sustainable practices and resources that all can employ. To that end, the award recognizes schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions that:

Reduce environmental impact and costs;

Improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and

Provide effective environmental and sustainability education.

Schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions apply to their state education authorities for nomination to the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, we recommend contacting your State Education Agency or postsecondary authority if you are interested in applying to be nominated by your State for the ED-GRS award. Additional resources and webinars can be found on the Green Strides website.

Established in 1964, via an executive order by the President, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program recognizes and honors some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the Nation's highest honors for high school students.

Application is by invitation only; therefore, students may not apply individually to the Program or be nominated by their schools. Scholar and Teacher Awardee lists by year can be found on the awards page. For further information you may review the program's FAQs.