Santa Fe Christian Lower School Named 2011 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
September 15, 2011

Santa Fe Christian (SFC) Lower School, a college-preparatory Christian private school in Solana Beach, was named 2011 National Blue Ribbon School, a distinction by the U.S. Department of Education that ranks it among the highest performing schools nationwide. Santa Fe Christian was one of only 49 private schools in the nation awarded this year and the only private school named in California. The U.S. Department of Education will honor the entire 255 public and 49 private schools with their National Blue Ribbon School awards at a conference and awards ceremony Nov. 14-15 in Washington, D.C.

“America’s long-term economic prosperity and civic engagement depends on our children receiving a world-class education,” Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan said. “National Blue Ribbon Schools are committed to accelerating student achievement and preparing students for success in college and careers. Their success is an example for others to follow.”

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private schools based on one of two criteria: 1) Schools whose students are high performing. These are schools ranked among each state’s highest performing schools as measured by their performance on state assessments or, in the case of private schools, that score at the highest performance level on nationally normed tests; or 2) Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that improve student performance to high levels as measured by the school’s performance on state assessments or nationally-normed tests. Santa Fe Christian Lower School is awarded under the high performing schools category.

Before selecting National Blue Ribbon Schools, the Department asks for nominations from the top education official in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. A total of 413 schools nationwide are nominated, based on the number of K-12 students and the number of schools in each jurisdiction. The schools are invited by the Secretary of Education to submit an application for possible recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School.

 

Santa Fe Christian Lower School is part of the Santa Fe Christian Schools, an independent Christian School, with approximately one thousand students each year, from preschool through grade 12. The main campus is located in Solana Beach and the Early Education center is in Encinitas. Santa Fe Christian Schools offers students an outstanding Christian education and a full spectrum of extracurricular opportunities, while also offering parents an unmatched value in private education.

A list of the 2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools is available at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2011/high-performing-schools.pdf