Hayfield Public Schools is among 48 schools designated as Celebration schools by the Minnesota Department of Eduction. This year, 166 schools were eligible and applied for the honor.

The Celebration school designation is part of Minnesota’s federal accountability system that replaces No Child Left Behind. Under Minnesota’s program, schools are assigned a Multiple Measurement Rating based on students’ proficiency and growth, as well as a school’s progress reducing achievement gaps and increasing graduation rates. The state’s Title I schools — those serving racially and ethnically diverse student populations with high levels of poverty — qualify for designations if they are top performers.

Celebration-eligible schools are the 25 percent of schools directly below those designated as Reward schools (the top 15 percent of Title I schools). These schools are able to apply for Celebration status by documenting what efforts they use to increase student achievement. MDE selects schools based on ability to effectively document best practices leading to student success to receive the Celebration school recognition.