Media Contact
Katy Payne she/her
360-764-0201
For years, the Washington School Recognition Program has honored K–12 public schools across the state for closing opportunity gaps and for students’ growth and academic achievement.
For the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years, 571 public schools in 178 school districts across Washington state have earned this recognition. Of those, 104 public schools earned recognition for both school years.
Recognized schools will receive a banner to display in their buildings. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) partners with the State Board of Education (SBE) and Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC) to identify and recognize schools for the program.
Schools that are recognized are those that have been identified for school improvement supports through the Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF). In alignment with federal requirements, the WSIF uses multiple measures of data to identify schools to receive additional state resources, tools, and assistance targeted to meet student needs. Those supports vary depending on the needs of the school, and may include additional technical assistance, partnerships with continuous improvement professionals, and access to targeted funding.
There are three routes for schools to be honored by the Washington School Recognition Program:
- Closing Gaps: These schools make significant advancements for all students or specific student groups in the area identified for improvement.
- Growth: These schools have at least one student group among the highest performers on at least 60% of WSIF measures.
- Achievement: These schools show high performance on at least two of the following measures: attendance, dual credit completion, English language arts (ELA) assessments, graduation rates, math assessments, and ninth grade on-track.
Schools can be recognized for gains in more than one category. For the 2022–23 school year:
- 78 schools are being recognized for closing gaps,
- 241 schools are being recognized for growth, and
- 81 schools are being recognized for achievement.
For the 2021–22 school year:
- 83 schools are being recognized for closing gaps,
- 217 schools are being recognized for growth, and
- 48 schools are being recognized for achievement.
The full lists of all schools earning recognition can be found on SBE’s website.
The Washington School Recognition Program was previously known as the Washington Achievement Awards. The program was on pause during the 2019–20 and 2020–21 school years as schools navigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.