Superintendent Arntzen Celebrates Montana’s 2023 National Blue Ribbon School Awardees

• Brian O'Leary
• September 23 2024

HELENA—Superintendent Elsie Arntzen congratulates Chief Joseph Elementary and Russell Elementary Schools as Montana’s 2024 National Blue Ribbon School awardees. The principal of Chief Joseph Elementary School in Great Falls is Andrea Thares and the principal of Russell Elementary School in Missoula is Peter Halloran.

Chief Joseph Elementary and Russell Elementary were designated as Blue Ribbon Schools based on overall academic excellence and efforts to achieve high levels of student success. Students from both schools received high proficiency ranks in both math and reading statewide assessment scores during the 2022-2023 school year (two school years ago):

• Reading proficiency:
  • Chief Joseph Elementary School: 49.3%
  • Russell Elementary: 59.1%
  • Montana’s overall: 45%
• Math proficiency:
  • Chief Joseph Elementary School: 49.3%
  • Russell Elementary: 51.4%
  • Montana’s overall: 37.5%

“We are all Montana proud of Chief Joseph and Russell Elementary Schools being recognized on a national level,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The academic achievement of these students is a reflection of strong school leadership, teacher innovation, and engaged parents, families, and communities. Join me in honoring the successes of these Montana students and teachers.”

The National Blue Ribbon School designation is a highly prestigious recognition from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) that only a few Montana schools earn each year. Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced that 356 schools across the country earned this recognition, which is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups on assessments. The DOE recognizes two performance categories:

• Exemplary High-Performing Schools are among their state’s highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are among their state’s highest-performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

Photographs and descriptions of the 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available here.