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Bluffton elementary school is one of only 16 schools in Ohio to receive a National Blue Ribbon Award, presented by the U.S. Department of Education, according to Greg Denecker, Bluffton superintendent.

Only 349 schools (300 public, 49 private) nationwide received the award out of 130,000 schools in the United States.

The award is for Exemplary High Performing achievement on assessments.

All schools are honored in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.

• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students over the past five years.

“We are a high performing school because of the expectations and support we get from our staff, community, parents and students,” Tim Closson, elementary principal, told The Icon.

He continued: "Our staff is committed to building relationships with our students. They know every student as an individual and work very hard to meet their needs. 

"Our community is very supportive and provides many partnerships, programs, and volunteers.  They also provide intervention and tutoring services. 

"And, our parents support their children. They support the curriculum set forth by the school. They attend events such as meet the teacher, open house, music programs, and parent/teacher conferences with attendance averaging 98% participation for over the past 10 years."