National Blue Ribbon Schools Program

Tabb Elementary School (TES) is located in historic Yorktown, Virginia, a mere 17 miles from the battlefields where our nation's freedom was won during the Revolutionary War. The school maintains strong military ties, with about 50% of students being military-connected. Many families choose to live in the communities we serve based on our school's reputation for achieving high levels of academic success.

Our priority is providing a safe, welcoming, and caring environment in which all students and staff have a sense of belonging and purpose. To achieve this priority and support student success, staff, families, and community members are actively engaged in meaningful, collaborative relationships. One approach includes the "Anchored 4 Life" program, which began as a way to help military students transition and has evolved to give all new students a connection on their first day of becoming a Tabb Tiger.

Tabb teachers support students who come from all over the world by assessing our students with screening tools to appropriately place students in leveled literacy and math groups. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide opportunities for staff to collaborate, share ideas, and develop innovative instructional strategies. Through PLC conversations, we determined student engagement during literacy instruction is essential for understanding, attention, and focus. Our teachers participated in purposeful professional development to build their skills and restructure their teaching model with a greater focus on hands-on learning paired with higher level thinking skills. This model improves teacher confidence and in turn led to more substantial gains in student engagement and achievement.