Hamilton Township High School Earns Nation's Highest School Honor

It is with great pride that we share with you the outstanding news that the students, faculty and administration of Hamilton Township High School have earned the premiere designation of National Blue Ribbon School for 2015.

On the morning of Tuesday, September 29, United State Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan announced the selection committee's results, and it included Hamilton Township High School. HTHS was initially selected and nominated for the honor by the Ohio Department of Education. Following the nomination, school and district administrators began completing the formal application that highlighted the many achievements of our high school.

"This honor is a direct reflection of how hard our high school faculty, staff and administration work to reach each child they are educating," explained Superintendent Bill Morrison. "All of our employees from preschool through middle school can take pride and celebrate this achievement as well because they built the students' foundation that has paved the way for understanding and success at the high school level."

Secretary Duncan recognized 335 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2015 based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. These schools demonstrate that all students can achieve to high levels.
 
“This honor recognizes your students’ accomplishments and the hard work and dedication that went into their success,” Duncan said in a video message to the awardees. “Your journey has taught you collaboration, intentional instruction, and strong relationships in school and with your community. You represent excellence—in vision, in implementation, and in results—and we want to learn as much as we can from you.”

The Department will honor 285 public and 50 private schools, including Hamilton Township High School, at a recognition ceremony on Nov. 9-10 in Washington, D.C. In its 33-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this coveted award on more than 8,000 of America’s schools.

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. The award plaque affirms the hard work of students, educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content. The award flag gracing a school’s building is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning. 
 
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.