The Lynchburg-Clay Elementary School is among 49 U.S. schools that have been named 2021 National ESEA Distinguished Schools for the extraordinary success of their students.

The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA) has been selecting examples of superior, federally funded school programs for national recognition through the National ESEA Distinguished Schools program. It celebrates the efforts of schools across the country making significant improvements. The program has annually acknowledged the success of hundreds of schools in one of three categories:

Category 1: Exceptional student performance and academic growth for two or more consecutive years;

Category 2: Closing the achievement gap between student groups for two or more consecutive years;

Category 3: Excellence in serving special populations of students (e.g. homelessness, migrant, English learners, etc.).

Lynchburg-Clay Elementary was selected for category 2.

NAESPA implemented the National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program to highlight selected schools that have effectively used their ESEA federal funds to improve education outcomes for students. More information about all National ESEA Distinguished Schools is available on the NAESPA website: www.ESEAnetwork.org/ds.

The 2021 National ESEA Distinguished Schools will be honored Feb. 16-19 at the 2022 National ESEA Conference.

Submitted by Jack Fisher, superintendent, Lynchburg-Clay Local School District.