The National Blue Ribbon Schools award is the highest honor bestowed upon schools by the United States Department of Education. Established in 1982 by Secretary of Education Terrell H. Bell, it recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that fall in either or both of the two performance award categories: Exemplary High Performing or Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing.
All Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore receiving the 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools award qualified as exemplary high performing based on their outstanding academic performance on national and state assessments.
Five Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore – Immaculate Conception School (Towson), Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Ellicott City), St. John the Evangelist School (Severna Park), St. Joseph School (Cockeysville), and St. Mary’s School (Annapolis)—have been named 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools.
They are among 356 schools nationwide to receive this prestigious recognition and represent 12% of all non-public schools recognized in the 2024 cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools.
Twenty-five Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore have received the National Blue Ribbon School award, including 13 within the last 10 years. The complete list of National Blue Ribbon School awardees include: