Webber Elementary was one of 325 schools nationwide to be named a National Blue Ribbon School for 2021.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recognized 325 schools, including 13 schools in Michigan, on Tuesday, according to information from the U.S. Department of Education.

“This year’s cohort of honorees demonstrates what is possible when committed educators and school leaders create vibrant, welcoming, and affirming school cultures where rich teaching and learning can flourish,” said Secretary Cardona. “I commend all our Blue Ribbon honorees for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect, and teach our children. Blue Ribbon Schools have so much to offer and can serve as a model for other schools and communities so that we can truly build back better.”

The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Secretary Cardona made the announcement during his Return to School Road Trip, while visiting Walter R. Sundling Jr. High School, in Palatine, Illinois.

Webber Elementary is one of six elementary schools in the Lake Orion Community Schools district and has 470 students and the average student-to-teacher ratio is 23-to-1, Webber Elementary Principal Jennifer Goethals wrote in the school’s application.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools award recognizes “the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content,” the U.S. Dept. of Education award announcement stated.

Now in its 39th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has given approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.

The other schools in Oakland County that received recognition were Conant Elementary School in the Bloomfield Hills School district and Barnard and Leonard elementary schools in the Troy school district. – J.N.