The U.S. Department of Education has named Ellsworth Elementary School in Naperville a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School.
More than 350 schools nationwide, including 20 in Illinois, received the recognition based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups on assessments.
Ellsworth, located at 145 N. Sleight St. in the city’s Historic District, received the award in the category of Exemplary High-Performing Schools, which recognizes the highest performing schools measured by state or national assessments, a Naperville School District 203 news release said.
An awards ceremony will take place Nov. 16 and 17 in Washington, D.C.
Ellsworth officials said in their application that their best teaching and learning practices are on vivid display.
“An observer might encounter first-graders coding robots, second-graders taking a gallery walk, third-graders creating a ‘wax museum’ of prominent leaders, fourth-graders making stop-motion films and fifth-graders printing 3D designs,” school officials said in their application.
“Ellsworth uniquely balances history and tradition with innovative ideas and practices to achieve a balance that helps our students honor the past, succeed in the present, and prepare for an even better future.”
According to district officials, Ellsworth is the fourth Naperville School District 203 school to receive National Blue Ribbon Schools recognition in the last two years.
Last year, Elmwood, Highlands and Steeple Run elementary schools each received the recognition.
To showcase the honor, a National Blue Ribbon School flag is displayed on a school’s entryway or on a flagpole, the release said.
Other Naperville-area schools to achieve the honor were St. Joan of Arc School in Lisle, St. Francis High School in Wheaton.
MIchelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
