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Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

The Archdiocese of Baltimore proudly displays banners, noting its schools' National Blue Ribbon distinction near its headquarters in downtown Baltimore. (George P. Matysek Jr./CR Staff)

Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program reinstated, St. Louis School ready to celebrate


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News, Schools

Archdiocese of Baltimore schools will participate in a newly reinstated Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program, and the principal of the first local Catholic school to be recognized by the initiative couldn’t be more thrilled.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced Sept. 30 the reinstatement of the Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which will recognize standout schools. The state program, which previously ended after the 2019-20 school year, was reinstated after the U.S. Department of Education’s decision in August to discontinue the long-running National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

St. Louis School in Clarksville will be one of the early beneficiaries of the new program, which will recognize private schools for the first time. St. Louis is one of seven schools the state will recognize that were finalists for the National Blue Ribbon award before it was abruptly ended this past summer.

St. Mary’s Elementary School in Annapolis was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2024. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

“I am absolutely thrilled about this fabulous news,” said St. Louis Principal Debbie Thomas, just hours after hearing about the recognition. “Our teachers and children have worked tirelessly for this recognition, and we can’t wait to celebrate.”

Thomas said plans are in the works for a celebration with students and parents, but the details haven’t been finalized.

The Howard County school was one of two Catholic schools in Maryland that had made it to the final round for a 2025 award. 

In 2024, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore celebrated having five schools named National Blue Ribbon Schools. The five honorees were among 356 schools nationwide to receive the recognition and represented 12 percent of all nonpublic schools recognized in 2024. 

“Gov. 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.” 

“While the federal government steps away from its obligations to our students, Maryland is stepping up,” Moore said in a media release. “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. 

Raven Hill, spokesperson for the Maryland State Department of Education, said the decision to add private schools to the state awards program was “a natural” since the state already recognized National Blue Ribbon schools at the State House last spring.

“With MSDE already having a relationship with private schools and Governor Moore taking the lead on reinstating the state program, it was natural that we include Catholic schools,” Hill said. “We want to continue to recognize all of our exceptional schools.”

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 2025-26 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 (Bethesda), 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 in the media release. “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.”

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.

Eligibility guidelines and the application timeline for the 2026-27 Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program will be released later this year to public and private schools.

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

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