Four Iowa schools named as 2025 Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools

The Iowa Department of Education is excited to lead the prestigious Blue Ribbon Schools program for Iowa, continuing the legacy of the former National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

DES MOINES — Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education today announced that four Iowa schools have been selected as the state’s inaugural Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools for 2025 during a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol. Formerly the National Blue Ribbon Schools, the prestigious program is now a state-led recognition initiative, honoring some of the state’s top-performing schools.

“I am thrilled to recognize each of Iowa’s Blue Ribbon Schools for their hard work to earn this well-deserved honor and their dedication to helping every student succeed,” Gov. Reynolds said. “This year Iowa was excited to help lead the way in launching this prestigious program as a statewide initiative to continue to honor high-performing schools, highlighting the transformational work that takes place every day in their classrooms.”

Iowa’s inaugural 2025 Blue Ribbons Schools are:

• Albia Middle School, Albia Community School District
• Bryant Elementary School, Dubuque Community School District 
• George-Little Rock Elementary, George-Little Rock Community School District
• Prairie Hill Elementary School, College Community School District

“Iowa’s inaugural Blue Ribbon School designation recognizes these school communities as models of excellence in Iowa and across the nation, celebrating the accomplishments of students, educators, and families across all corners of the state,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “We applaud Iowa’s Blue Ribbon Schools for their leadership to advance evidence-based reading and math instruction, support teachers in doing their best work, and empower students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success. The Department is proud to join Iowans in continuing to honor our exceptional schools that provide all students what they need to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential.”

The Iowa Department of Education is well positioned to lead this program as a state initiative, having identified, nominated and celebrated more than 200 Iowa schools that have received this honored designation since its inception in 1982. 

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced in August that it was transitioning the Blue Ribbon Schools recognition program to states, providing the opportunity to celebrate exemplary schools that are achieving their unique educational goals. Previously, the Blue Ribbon Schools program was jointly administered by USED and state departments of education, and the important work of identifying schools for recognition was always done at the state level

In its inaugural year, schools recognized through the Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools program were identified based on the prior National Blue Ribbon Schools requirements. Iowa’s four designees were honored as Exemplary High-Performing Schools, which are measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Each of these schools performed in the top 15 percent of all Iowa public schools based on overall performance on school accountability indicators, including student proficiency and growth. 

Eligibility criteria in future years for this highly selective designation will also align with Iowa’s state education priorities built on a foundation of vibrant, safe and healthy learning environments, which include:

• Advancing a strong teacher pipeline through recruitment, development and retention.
• Strengthening early literacy and numeracy through evidence-based reading and math instruction.
• Narrowing and closing achievement gaps through accountability and support.
• Empowering students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success and completion.

Additional information on the Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools program can be found on the Department’s Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools webpage at: https://educate.iowa.gov/pk-12/award-exchange-programs/iowa-blue-ribbon-schools