Six local schools win National Blue Ribbon honors, but not in the Philadelphia district

Six area schools have been named 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education, officials announced Tuesday.

The schools — one in Philadelphia, one in South Jersey, and four in the Philadelphia suburbs — were honored for either general excellence or progress closing gaps in education. Across the U.S., 353 schools were singled out for their stellar performance.

The prize-winning local schools are J. Fithian Tatem Elementary, in Haddonfield, of the Haddonfield School District; Central Bucks High School East, Doylestown, of the Central Bucks School District; St. Mary Interparochial, Philadelphia; St. Philip Neri, Lafayette Hill; and Saints Philip and James, Exton, of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; and Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary, an independent school in Ambler.

Tatem was one of just nine Blue Ribbon Schools in New Jersey; the Pennsylvania schools were among a group of 13 state award winners.

No Philadelphia School District schools were named Blue Ribbon winners for the first time in years.

The awards are meaningful: Schools across the U.S. have been seeing COVID-19 gaps in both academics and social and emotional skills. The schools and districts hit hardest were generally the ones that had already struggled with a lack of resources and high concentrations of students with the greatest needs.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona hailed the winning schools as national exemplars.

“The leaders, educators, and staff at our National Blue Ribbon Schools continually inspire me with their dedication to fostering academic excellence and building positive school cultures that support students of all backgrounds to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally,” said Cardona, who said officials “take tremendous pride in the achievements of these schools and their commitment to empowering educators, serving students, and engaging families.”