Talkington SYWL, Sundown Elementary named National Blue Ribbon Schools

Alex Driggars, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
·2 min read
Students and staff at Lubbock ISD's Talkington School for Young Women Leaders pose for a photo after learning the school was named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School, Sept. 19 in Lubbock.
Students and staff at Lubbock ISD's Talkington School for Young Women Leaders pose for a photo after learning the school was named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School, Sept. 19 in Lubbock.

Two South Plains schools are recipients of a prestigious federal recognition.

Talkington School for Young Women Leaders, part of the Lubbock Independent School District, and Sundown Elementary School were both named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023 by the U.S. Department of Education. The distinction honors campuses with exemplary academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.

Sundown Elementary and Talkington SYWL are among 353 schools nationally and just 29 in Texas to receive the Blue Ribbon designation.

Talkington, a repeat honoree first recognized in 2016, is the highest-performing magnet school that receives Title I funds in the state, according to a statement from LISD. The school received an A a accountability rating with a score of 99 from the Texas Education Agency in 2022.

Sundown ISD's Sundown Elementary, previously honored in 2012, also earned an A accountability rating with a score of 95. Both schools scored the maximum of 100 points in the "closing the gaps" category in 2022.

"National Blue Ribbon School leaders articulate a vision of excellence and hold everyone to high standards. They demonstrate effective and innovative teaching and learning, and the schools value and support teachers and staff through meaningful professional learning," reads a statement from the Texas Education Agency. "A National Blue Ribbon School flag gracing a school’s entryway or on a flagpole is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning."

Gov. Greg Abbott congratulated the 26 public and three non-public Texas schools to earn the Blue Ribbon distinction.

"Being chosen as a National Blue Ribbon School is a special distinction, and I congratulate the students, educators, and parents of these 29 Texas schools for their hard work and dedication to promoting excellence," Abbott said.

Other Texas schools to be named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School include Vega Junior High School and Dumas ISD's Sunset Elementary in the Panhandle, and:

  • St. Theresa Catholic School, Diocese of Austin

  • Elementary School, Brownsville ISD

  • House Creek Elementary School, Copperas Cove ISD

  • Cross Plains Elementary School, Cross Plains ISD

  • Rosemont Upper School, Dallas ISD

  • Trinity Heights Gifted and Talented School, Dallas ISD

  • Falls City Elementary School, Falls City ISD

  • Frankston Elementary School, Frankston ISD

  • Maxfield Elementary School, Gorman ISD

  • Honey Grove Elementary School, Honey Grove ISD

  • Houston Gateway Academy Elite College Prep, Houston Gateway Academy

  • Nitsch Elementary School, Klein ISD

  • Farias Elementary School, Laredo ISD

  • Hector J. Garcia Early College High School, Laredo ISD

  • Cross Roads Junior High School, Cross Roads ISD

  • McLeod Elementary School, McLeod ISD

  • Milano Elementary School, Milano ISD

  • Pittsburg Intermediate School, Pittsburg ISD

  • Prince Of Peace Catholic School, Catholic Diocese of Dallas

  • Roel A & Celia R Saenz Elementary School, Roma ISD

  • Herfurth Elementary School, Garland ISD

  • Davis Elementary School, Royse City ISD

  • IDEA Carver Academy, IDEA Public Schools

  • Saint Laurence Catholic School, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

  • Industrial Elementary East, Industrial ISD

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock's Talkington, Sundown Elementary National Blue Ribbon Schools