Over the past 40 years, 9,000 schools have earned the National Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence. This is a coveted distinction as it is the only one given by the U.S. Department of Education. It was created not only to recognize amazing schools throughout the nation but also to look at what makes them great. What are their standards? What kind of environment are they fostering to help students succeed? This can then be shared with other schools for improvement and achievement overall.