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Once my school is nominated, what is the process and timeline for learning if we will be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School?

June 5, 2018

Following the receipt of school nominations from States, the Department invites nominated schools to apply for the award. After schools submit their applications for recognition, they are screened for completeness, quality, accuracy, and eligibility issues. Schools are provided with feedback and provided an opportunity to modify and improve their application before final submission.

Once reviews are completed, public schools must be certified by state CSSOs based on the school’s most current performance on state assessments in order to receive the National Blue Ribbon Schools award. Because state assessment results may not be available and announced until late summer, the Department usually announces the new National Blue Ribbon Schools in September of the year after a school’s initial nomination. The recognition ceremony takes place in mid-fall. The entire process, from initial nomination to receiving the award, takes about a year.

The timeline for the 2021 cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools is as follows:

Date Due
September, 2020 The Secretary of Education sends a letter of invitation to the CSSOs and CAPE requesting nominations of eligible schools.
October, 2020 Conduct webinar/TA conference calls to review guidance and application with liaisons.
October 30, 2020 Pre-registrations of non-public schools are due.
December 31, 2020 Nomination processes and data for public schools being considered for nomination from CSSOs are due to the Department.
January 6, 2021 Hard copy of non-public school applications and assessment results are due to CAPE.
January 11-15, 2021 Nomination processes and data for public schools being considered for nomination are reviewed by ED and a NBRS Assessment Panel for alignment with the general eligibility criteria of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
February 3, 2021 Approved public school nominations are entered by states into online portal.
February 8, 2021 The Department invites public schools nominated by CSSOs to apply for recognition as National Blue Ribbon Schools.
February 19, 2021 CAPE selects non-public school nominations.
April 9, 2021 Completed public and non-public school applications are due to the Department.
April-June, 2021 Applications are reviewed for completeness, quality, and accuracy.
August, 2021 States certify that nominated public schools have met all eligibility requirements.
September, 2021 The Secretary of Education announces the 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools (public and non-public).
November, 2021 Two representatives from each school, the principal and a teacher, attend the
recognition ceremony in Washington, DC.
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