North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said Wednesday that St. John Elementary School in St. John, N.D., and Mary Stark Elementary in Mandan, N.D., are being honored for exceptional academic achievement and growth during the past two years.
The two schools will get Distinguished Schools Awards from the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators. The association consists of state school officials who administer federal education aid programs.
St. John Elementary, which is in Rolette County on the Canadian border in north-central North Dakota, was chosen for academic achievement and growth of at least 10 percent annually in English language arts over two years, Baesler said.
Mary Stark Elementary was picked because of academic achievement and growth in mathematics of at least 10 percent annually over two years.
St. John High School was honored last year for exceptional student performance and academic growth for at least two years.
Each state education department may nominate two schools annually to be considered as distinguished schools. To qualify, schools must have at least 35 percent of their students in low-income families and show high academic achievement for two or more consecutive years.
ESEA stands for Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is the primary federal law that benefits K-12 education.