McKenzie Snow, Director of Iowa Department of Education | Iowa Department Of Education
Four Iowa schools have been named as the first recipients of the state’s newly established Iowa Blue Ribbon Schools award for 2025. The announcement was made by Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education during a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol.
The Blue Ribbon Schools program, previously a national initiative, is now led by the state to recognize top-performing schools in Iowa. This transition follows an August announcement from the U.S. Department of Education that shifted responsibility for the program to individual states.
Governor Reynolds said, “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. 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.”
The four schools recognized as 2025 Iowa Blue Ribbon 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
McKenzie Snow, Director of the Iowa Department of Education, stated: “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. 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.”
Since 1982, more than 200 schools in Iowa have received recognition under this program. With its new structure as a state-led initiative, future eligibility criteria will be aligned with state education priorities such as strengthening early literacy and numeracy through evidence-based instruction and empowering students with various paths toward postsecondary achievement.
In its first year under state administration, honorees were selected using previous National Blue Ribbon Schools requirements. The four awarded schools were designated as Exemplary High-Performing Schools based on performance indicators including student proficiency and growth; each performed within the top 15 percent among public schools statewide.
For more information about the program or future eligibility criteria built around teacher recruitment efforts and closing achievement gaps through accountability measures, visit https://educate.iowa.gov/pk-12/award-exchange-programs/iowa-blue-ribbon-schools.
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