2 Brooklyn Schools Win Prestigious 'Blue Ribbon' Award

BROOKLYN, NY — Two schools in Brooklyn are among just a few hundred across the nation to win an academic honor from the U.S. Department of Education.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private schools with high academic performance, or which have made progress in closing achievement gaps within student subgroups.

P.S. 249 The Caton School in Flatbush and P.S. 310 The School for Future Leaders in Borough Park were announced last week as one of this year's winners.

They are the only Brooklyn schools and among only six in New York City to make the cut. (All six were nominated in the "exemplary high performing schools" category, rather than the achievement-gap category.)

"What better way to kick off the new school year than by celebrating the heroic educators and staff at our Blue Ribbon Schools," Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter said in a statement. "Our school communities have done incredible work throughout the pandemic, and they continue to show up and put our students first every single day."

The Caton School, found on Marlborough Road, teaches more than 800 students pre-K through 12th grade. It is a Title I school that describes its mission as believing "that every student, without exception, without excuses, will experience academic success and will be proficient or advanced in reading, writing, and mathematics," according to the Blue Ribbon application.

The School for Future Leaders, on 62nd Street, was founded in 2010 and teaches nearly 500 students, also between pre-K and 12th grade. Its mission is that "ALL students can be effective leaders and independent thinkers. We encourage collaboration and embrace diversity to create a positive, safe, and respectful learning environment," according to their application.

The Blue Ribbon program began in 1982, and has honored more than 9,000 schools since its inception.

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.