Texas Border Business
PHARR – Kelly-Pharr Elementary in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA ISD) has been nominated as a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School for closing achievement gaps. The school is one of 26 Texas schools nominated for this prestigious recognition and the only one from the Rio Grande Valley.
Initiated by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that have high student achievement and/or highlights where exemplary progress has been made in closing achievement gaps among student subpopulations. Since the program’s founding, 7,000 schools across the nation have received this prestigious designation.
In Texas, public schools are considered for nomination based on student performance on the first administration of the previous year’s STAAR assessments.
“Congratulations to our students and teachers,” said PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo. “We’re really proud of everyone at Kelly-Pharr Elementary for earning this prestigious nomination.”
Since the program’s inception, PSJA ISD has had five other schools receive these honors. In the 1987-88 school year Raul Longoria Elementary was awarded the Blue Ribbon School designation. In the 1998-99 school year, Napper Elementary received this honor and in 2009 James Bowie Elementary, now McKeever Elementary was awarded. Most recently in 2018, Cesar Chavez Elementary and Carmen Anaya Elementary were awarded the prestigious designation.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” said PSJA Kelly-Pharr Elementary Principal Lydia Treviño. “Thank you to my students, parents, staff and district leaders for their support.”
