Each year, this program highlights schools that demonstrate exceptional progress in key areas of student success. All Washington public schools are eligible for the honor.
The program is a joint effort between the State Board of Education (SBE), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC). Its purpose is to celebrate effective practices, support student success, and promote continuous improvement in schools across Washington.
How A School Qualifies
Schools can be recognized in three categories: Closing Gaps, Growth, and Achievement.
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Closing Gaps: Schools in this category have made significant progress in areas identified for improvement in previous school years. These areas may include English language arts and math assessment scores, English learner progress, or graduation rates.
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Growth: Schools recognized for growth have at least one student group that has shown some of the state’s largest annual gains across multiple measures, such as attendance, assessment scores, English learner progress, graduation rates, or the percentage of ninth graders who successfully earned all their attempted credits.
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Achievement: These schools have the state's highest performance in at least two key areas, including attendance, dual credit completion, assessment scores in English language arts or math, graduation rates, or ninth-grade credit attainment, and are above average across all reportable student groups on the 2025 Washington School Improvement Framework.