Trinity School at River Ridge named a 2008 U. S. Department of Education No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School
The U.S. Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels.

Trinity School at River Ridge (TSRR) is pleased to have been recognized as a NCLB Blue Ribbon School in 2008. For 2008, TSRR had the distinction of being:
• the only high school in Minnesota to earn this status
• one of only three private high schools in the U.S. to earn this status

In the 26 years since its inception in 1982, less than 5% of the of the nation’s 133,000 public, charter, private, and parochial schools serving grades K-12 have been recognized as NCLB Blue Ribbon Schools. Trinity School at River Ridge is proud to be one of 0.5% of schools in the nation that have been awarded the NCLB Blue Ribbon designation more than once.

The 2008 Blue Ribbon Schools were announced on September 9th, 2008. Schools were honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., October 20-21. Head of School William Wacker and Associate Head of School Dave Beskar attended the ceremony where they received a plaque and a flag to signify TSRR’s Blue Ribbon School status.

The Blue Ribbon School Program

Recognizing Excellent American Schools
Since its inception in 1982 by Secretary Terrel H. Bell, the U. S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools Program has honored many of America’s most successful schools. A Blue Ribbon School flag waving overhead has become a mark of excellence, a symbol of quality recognized by everyone from parents to policy-makers in thousands of communities. These schools serve as models for other schools throughout the nation.

Blue Ribbon Schools are selected based on one of two criteria:
• schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10% of their state on state tests or in the case of private schools in the top 10% of the nation on nationally-normed tests
• schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests

The Program is part of a larger Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school leadership and teaching practices.