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NEDERLAND — The Nederland Independent School District announced Thursday afternoon that Langham Elementary has been named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School, joining 12 other schools from around the state of Texas receiving the “Exemplary High Performing School” honor.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recognized 367 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020.

The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

“We are so proud of the faculty, students and staff at Langham Elementary,” Superintendent Dr. Stuart Kieschnick said. “This campus has a long-standing reputation of being high performing and we expect nothing but the same moving forward in the future. We continue to have a committed staff that is willing to do whatever it takes to support our students.”

The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.

Now in its 38th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed almost 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools, with some schools winning multiple awards. Schools are eligible for nomination after five years.

Principal Toby Latiolais said he wants to sincerely thank everyone who has made this recognition possible.

“The success of Langham can be attributed to the dedication of our staff, students and community,” Latiolais said. “Everyone in the school community has made this award possible. We are extremely proud of being included as members of this elite collection of schools, and we will continue to look for ways to adapt and improve for our students.”

The Education Department recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, student subgroup scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High Performing Schools – These are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.

• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools – These are among their state’s highest performing in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year.

The U.S. Education Department invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education.

The 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony will be held virtually Nov. 12 and 13.