3 public elementary schools in isles earn national honor

Three Hawaii public elementary schools were named Tuesday as 2014 National Blue Ribbon schools for "outstanding performance and improvement efforts," the state Department of Education announced.

Ernest Bowen de Silva Elementary, Haleiwa Elementary and Red Hill Elementary schools are among 337 schools nationwide announced as winners by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

In November, Duncan and the U.S. Department of Education will honor the schools — 287 public and 50 private — at a recognition ceremony in the nation’s capital.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap.

"These great schools are fulfilling the promise of an American education — that all students, no matter their socioeconomic status or ZIP code, can flourish when schools provide safe, creative and challenging learning environments," Duncan said in a release. "National Blue Ribbon Schools are models of consistent excellence and a resource for other schools and districts."

All schools are recognized in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates.

» Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates are also at the highest levels.

» Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates for each subgroup are at high levels.

The three Hawaii schools are among the state’s top-performing public schools. Hilo’s E.B. de Silva Elementary and Red Hill Elementary in Moanalua earned spots this year in the "recognition" category on the state’s Strive HIaccountability system, which measures student achievement and growth on test scores, among other indicators.

Red Hill, which serves a large number of military dependents from surrounding base housing, had the second-highest Strive HI index score in the state.

Haleiwa Elementary boasts the state’s highest percentage of students testing proficient in math, at 94 percent last school year. At the North Shore school, where 65 percent of students come from economically disadvantaged homes, 92 percent of students tested proficient in reading last year, the fourth-highest rate in the state.

In its 32-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program issued the award to nearly 7,900 schools.