Rewards and Recognition
Ohio districts and buildings may be recognized at the state or national level for their academic performance.
District and School Report Card Awards
The Ohio Department of Education and workforce releases the Ohio School Report Cards annually to provide parents, caregivers, community members, educators, and policymakers information about district and school performance — to celebrate successes and identify areas for improvement. The data provided through the Ohio School Report Cards allows the Department to identify schools and districts which are consistently going above and beyond both inside and outside of the classroom, through the District and School Report Card Awards. These remarkable accomplishments highlight commitment to advancing academic achievement and supporting student success.
There are five state-level District and School Report Card Awards categories, including the Overall 5-Star District, Overall 5-Star Building, Career-Technical Planning District Overall 5-Star, Dropout Prevention and Recovery Exceeds Standards, as well as building and district Momentum Awards.
The list of 2024-2025 awardees as well as award criteria can be found on the 2024-2025 District and School Report Card Awards list.
Award Types and Descriptions
Overall 5-Star District Award
The Overall 5-Star District Award is awarded to districts that exceeded state standards by earning an overall 5-stars on the Traditional Report Card for their performance across the six rated components.
- Achievement Component
- Progress Component
- Gap Closing Component
- Early Literacy Component
- Graduation Component
- College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness Component
Overall 5-Star Building Award
The Overall 5-Star Building Award is awarded to buildings that exceeded state standards by earning an overall 5-stars on the Traditional Report Card for their performance across the 6-rated components:
- Achievement Component
- Progress Component
- Gap Closing Component
- Early Literacy Component
- Graduation Component
- College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness Component
Drop Out Prevention and Recovery Exceeds Standards award
Community schools that serve a majority of their students through Dropout Prevention and Recovery Programs (DOPR) receiving the DOPR designation, are evaluated on graduation rate, achievement, gap closing, and progress in reading and mathematics. Dropout Prevention and Recovery Programs who exceed standards on their report cards are awarded this honor.
Career-Technical Planning District overall 5-star Award
Career Technical Planning Districts are key partners in meeting Ohio’s vision for each student. The Career-Technical Planning District Report Cards (CTPD) support that work by examining key metrics of success such as career readiness – with a focus on equitable outcomes for all students. CTPDs are awarded the Overall 5-star rating based on performance on the four rated components.
Momentum Award
The momentum award is for districts and buildings that have demonstrated outstanding improvement in achievement while also continuing to show growth. The momentum award is for districts and buildings that have improved their performance index by 3 or more points from 2023-2024 report card to the 2024-2025 report card AND received a value-added progress rating of 4 or more stars. Districts and buildings are not eligible for this award if they received an overall rating of 5 stars, or have received a watermark on either the 2023-2024 report card or 2024-2025 report card.
Blue Ribbon Schools
The Blue Ribbon Award honors schools that demonstrate exceptional academic excellence and strong student outcomes. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce selected 14 public schools that exemplify strong leadership, effective instruction, data‑driven practices, and meaningful collaboration with families and communities — creating environments where every student can thrive. At least one‑third of these schools serve student populations in which 40% or more of students are economically disadvantaged.
The 2025 Blue Ribbon awardees are:
- Bath Elementary School – Bath Local Schools
- Beverly-Center Elementary School – Fort Frye Local School District
- Big Creek Elementary School – Berea City School District
- Eli Pinney Elementary School – Dublin City School District
- Granger Elementary School – Highland Local Schools
- Grant Elementary School – Lakewood City School District
- Independence Primary School – Independence Local Schools
- Liberty Center Middle School – Liberty Center Local Schools
- New Bremen Elementary School – New Bremen Local Schools
- Newton Elementary School – Newton Local Schools
- Ottawa Hills High School – Ottawa Hills Local Schools
- Sycamore Creek Elementary School – Pickerington Local School District
- Terrace Park Elementary School – Mariemont City Schools
- Union Elementary School – Upper Sandusky Exempted Village Schools
National Awards
National Title I Distinguished Schools - The National Title I Association annually recognizes up to two Title I schools from each state for their outstanding achievements in education. Ohio nominates schools that demonstrate a wide array of strengths, including team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized programs for student success, and strong partnerships between the school, parents and the community.
Exempt Districts
Ohio Revised Code Section 3302.151 allows city, local and exempted village school districts that meet certain criteria on the Ohio School Report Cards to be exempt from the mentoring component under the Ohio teacher residency program, standards prescribing a minimum class size and requirement for teachers to be licensed specifically in the grade level in which they are teaching, except unless otherwise prescribed by federal law.
Last Modified: 4/6/2026 3:19:24 PM