Six Maryland schools from five different counties will be awarded the 2013 Blue Ribbon School Award Thursday, the state superintendent's office announced.
The schools, which will be named at a ceremony in Baltimore, are located in Baltimore, Carroll, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties.
Maryland's Blue Ribbon schools are selected by the State Department of Education for showing a great improvement or consistent high performance in the reading and math portions of the Maryland State Assessments. In addition to recognition by elected officials, winning schools receive prizes and money donated by corporate sponsors.
Winners in Maryland are then nominated for the National Blue Ribbon Schools program administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
Last year, the state winners represented public school systems in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Montgomery, Prince George's and Worcester Counties. All six schools, plus four private schools in Maryland, were named national winners.
