The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that Stamford Charter School for Excellence is among those named as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023. Stamford Excellence earned recognition for its progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups.
Stamford Excellence is among four schools in Connecticut, and 353 schools nationwide, to receive the award this year, marking the first time a public charter school in Connecticut has received this honor.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, a Connecticut native, says these schools have proven “their dedication to fostering academic excellence and building positive school cultures that support students of all backgrounds to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally,” according to the announcement released Sept. 19, 2023.
Since opening in 2015, Stamford Excellence has used a rigorous curriculum to prepare students from a young age for success at the high school and collegiate level and beyond, while maintaining a mission of cultivating artistic, social, and ethical development. The school credits part of its success to its Grade Cohort Model and notes the importance of collaboration and involvement of staff in making key decisions to best address children’s needs.
“We are so proud of the entire Stamford Excellence community,” said CTCSA Executive Director Ruben Felipe. “Their students, families and staff have worked diligently to achieve such high standards and should be commended for setting an example for all schools throughout our state.”
“It is an honor for any school to be named a Blue Ribbon award winner,” he added. “But to be the very first public charter school in Connecticut to receive this designation? That is exceptional and something to be celebrated.”
Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker said state officials want to focus on highlighting what’s right with schools, adding in a statement, “our Blue Ribbon Award winners serve as an excellent example of the creative approaches being implemented to guarantee the ongoing advancement and academic achievements of our students.”
Recent SBAC assessment data from the spring of 2023 shows Stamford Excellence was among the top 10 percent of schools in ELA performance and its 71% of assessed students being proficient in Math was more than double the rate of their home district, Stamford (32.4%). In 2018-19, Stamford Excellence was named a School of Distinction for High Growth by the Connecticut State Department of Education.
The school currently serves 560 scholars.