ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced the new Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program to recognize exemplary schools. The state program, which previously ended after the 2019-2020 school year, has been reinstated following the U.S. Department of Education’s decision in August to discontinue the long-running National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
“While the federal government steps away from its obligations to our students, Maryland is stepping up,”
said Gov. Moore. “We are proud to elevate and honor these exceptional institutions of learning, which are inspiring the next generation to work and lead. Together, we must continue our work to ensure every Maryland child receives a world-class education.”
The Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program will operate collaboratively with the Maryland State Department of Education, Archdiocese of Baltimore, and Archdiocese of Washington. Schools are considered for Blue Ribbon distinction based on their students’ performance on national and state assessments, in addition to their work to narrow performance disparities between different student groups compared to the state average.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognized schools for academic performance or progress in closing student achievement gaps, and was the highest honor bestowed upon schools by the U.S. Department of Education. Established in 1982, the award recognized public and private elementary, middle, and high schools in either or both of two performance award categories: Exemplary High Performing or Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing.
The 2025-2026 Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools are the seven schools that were nominated for National Blue Ribbon recognition this year before the program was cut:
- Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore City Public Schools
- Diamond Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools
- Myersville Elementary School, Frederick County Public Schools
- Stoneleigh Elementary School, Baltimore County Public Schools
- Wilson Wims Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools
- St. Louis School, Archdiocese of Baltimore
- Little Flower School, Archdiocese of Washington
“Our Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools are shining examples of excellence through dedicated leadership, passionate teaching, and strong family partnerships,”
said State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright. “These schools model the ‘best of the best’ practices in teaching and learning across the state with an emphasis on progress as well as success. While we are disappointed by the end of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, we could not be more excited to collaborate with the Archdiocese of Baltimore and Archdiocese of Washington in providing a new opportunity for recognizing exemplary schools.”
“Governor Wes Moore and the State of Maryland demonstrate their strong commitment to recognizing the state’s outstanding schools that are dedicated to providing exceptional education for our leaders of tomorrow,”
said Archdiocese of Baltimore Chancellor of Catholic Schools Greg Farno. “For our Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, this recognition affirms our commitment to fostering faith-filled, academically driven students and motivates us to continually raise the bar for educational quality and service.”
This year, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Little Flower and St. Louis were recognized in the Exemplary High Performing category based on outstanding academic performance on national and state assessments. Wilson Wims Elementary was recognized in the Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing category for narrowing performance disparities between different student groups. Diamond, Myersville and Stoneleigh were recognized in both categories.
All schools will be formally honored in November at the State Board of Education meeting and next spring by the State Senate and House of Delegates in Annapolis. The schools will also receive a Maryland Blue Ribbon School banner, flag and award citations.
Approximately 180 Maryland public schools have received National Blue Ribbon Schools honors since the program’s inception. Twenty-five schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore have received the National Blue Ribbon School award and schools in the Archdiocese of Washington have received the Blue Ribbon designation more than 50 times.
Eligibility guidelines and the application timeline for the 2026-2027 Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program will be released later this year to public and private schools.