National Blue Ribbon Schools Program

Urbana Elementary School has a long history of high achievement and innovative teaching. Yearly, our leadership team crafts a school improvement plan based on multiple data points to continue excellence in academics and school culture. Grade level teams meet with in-school specialists for literacy and math to ensure academic progress. Our students arrive eager to learn and our teachers are prepared to engage, inspire, and motivate.

This summer, we moved from a small building, where we had fourteen portable classrooms, to a state of the art building. We will be here for two years as our former building will be demolished and rebuilt. We’ll actively continue blended learning as Chromebooks are used in all classrooms to support personalized learning. Many teachers utilize Google Classroom for collaborative learning and student led presentations. Our staff made a shift from teacher directed outcomes to including students in knowing what success criteria are as well as identifying the learning goals. Students are empowered to have an active role in their learning and monitor themselves along the way with rubrics, peer reviews, and teacher conferencing. Character Counts Pillars are emphasized through a student Kindness Club, Positive Office Referrals, and Soaring with Pride accolades. Buddy classes are a special legacy for UES. Classes of different grade levels are paired and throughout the year share activities that promote social and academic growth for both classes. Lasting friendships and relationships are forged as a result of these special interactions. All Urbana Elementary staff members take responsibility and ownership for the achievement of all UES students.