Jersey City School Is Among 11 In NJ To Be 'Blue Ribbon' For 2024

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Schools across the country that provide an excellent education, all while "closing the achievement gaps" among students, are given "Blue Ribbon" status by the federal government each year.

This year, only 11 individual schools in New Jersey, out of around 2,500 in the Garden State, were awarded the distinction. The schools were announced on Monday afternoon, Sept. 23.

Public, private, public charter, and magnet schools were all considered.

Among them, only one was chosen from Hudson County.

That school is Soaring Heights Charter School in Jersey City.

The U.S. Department of Education said Monday, "This recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups on assessments. These schools demonstrate what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students’ lives."

356 schools were chosen nationally this year.

(See which 2 Bergen County schools were chosen here.)

In Hudson County, between one and two schools each year have been selected since 1998, starting with Midtown Community School in Bayonne in the 1998-1999 school year. Since then, four schools in Jersey City, three schools in Bayonne, two schools in Union City, one school in Harrison, and two Hudson County-wide public schools have been chosen. (See the list of past schools here.)

"The 2024 cohort are in 45 States, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools in England, Germany, and at West Point," the Department of Education said. "They represent (316) public and (40) non-public schools. Of the 356 schools, (14) schools were recognized in both the Exemplary High Performing and Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools categories."

About Soaring Heights In Jersey City

Soaring Heights said of itself, "In September 1997, Soaring Heights Charter School was founded by a group of educators from the Jersey City Public School District as one ofthe 13 original charter schools in New Jersey. These pioneers set out to create a unique environment where the staff not only directly managesthe daily operations of the school, but also directly communicates witheach other. By practicing Direct Communication, an environment is created that fosters inspiration, motivation, and above all unity — the backbone of shared leadership.

"Soaring Heights sustains these innovative structures of shared leadership and Direct Communication, which affords teachers opportunities to grow as leaders. All full-time teachers serve in two capacities: first, as classroom teachers, and second, as school administrators. As a result, teachers are more invested in the school's success, creating a sense of community and ownership. This inclusive process that builds up the staff translates to the students, where they inherit the same sense of community and ownership, building the students' confidence and increasing compassion for themselves and others."

The New Jersey Department of Education may nominate up to only nine public schools annually from the roughly 2,500 schools across approximately 685 districts in the state.

See the list of New Jersey schools chosen for this year here.

Read more about the program here.