Three schools in Hawaii were recently recognized as 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. The three schools were among 297 across the nation honored for their overall academic performance or progress in closing the achievement gap among student subgroups.

“We are so proud to have Hokulani, Kahala, and Nu’uanu represent our Hawaii public schools with a strong commitment to rigorous learning and well-rounded education that prepares our students for successful futures,” said Hawaii State Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi. “Congratulations to the students, teachers, staff, and families for their collective efforts on this prestigious achievement.”

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public, private, and parochial schools in one of two performance categories:

• Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments on nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years.

In addition to schools in Hawaii, Blue Ribbon honors were also presented to big-city schools in Anchorage, Clark County (Las Vegas), Dallas, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Long Beach, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Reno. Los Angeles and Dallas had two schools recognized.