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MDE to continue Blue Ribbon school recognition under new state program
Summary
After the U.S. Department of Education ended the National Blue Ribbon program, Michigan described a new state recognition to honor high‑performing and gap‑closing schools: up to 20 awards annually with categories for exemplary high performing and bridging the gap schools.
Michigan Department of Education staff presented a new Michigan Blue Ribbon Schools recognition program to the State Board and explained how the state will continue honoring public schools after the federal program ended.
MDE staff said the program will name up to 20 schools each year: as many as 13 exemplary high‑performing schools (top 15% statewide, with student‑group performance in the top 40%) and up to seven "bridging the gap" schools that show the greatest gains for historically underserved groups. Presenters emphasized that at least two‑thirds of awardees will be schools where more than 40 percent of students are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr. Jen Sailor (director, Office of Curriculum and Instruction) said the state will carry forward the national standards for high performance while adding criteria to recognize schools that reduce achievement gaps. "By this point, Michigan had already nominated the 2025 cohort and we moved quickly to ensure those schools were recognized locally," Sailor said. The selection process and timeline were described; school teams will be invited to an awards presentation in November.
Board members suggested using awardees as model or demonstration schools to share practices and build peer learning networks. MDE agreed to consider partnerships between Blue Ribbon schools and districts that seek to replicate effective approaches.
No funding decisions were made; MDE said application portals are open and that selection will follow published eligibility and performance criteria.
