Southgate Elementary School and Blooming Prairie Elementary School received high marks for improving student achievement.

The Minnesota Department of Education announced 22 schools recognized as Celebration Schools for efforts to increase student achievement on Wednesday. This year, 143 schools applied for the honor.

“I think it’s an affirmation for the hard work that we’ve been putting in over the years,” Southgate Principal Edwina Harder said.

Southgate employees were excited to get the status, as they have worked hard to close the achievement gap. Southgate has been eligible for the award for the last three years, but this is the first time it received the status.

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 (MMR) based on students’ proficiency and growth, as well as a school’s progress towards reducing achievement gaps and increasing graduation rates.

The state’s Title I schools — those serving racially and ethnically diverse student populations and receive federal funds for children from low-income families — qualify for designations if they are top performers.

Blooming Elementary Principal Chris Staloch was also pleased to receive the award.

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “I think it shows that we are working hard to improve what we do in our school. We have a lot of people in our school. Our entire staff truly cares about kids and they strive to do better every day, and I think it’s neat to be rewarded for that.”

Blooming Prairie Elementary has also been eligible the past three years, and this is the second time they have received the Celebration status. Staloch said they have worked to close the achievement gap in the schools through collaborations between staff members and by holding regular meetings, but received support from the community too.

“I think you need all those pieces,” Staloch said. “You need your staff and your community all pushing toward the same goals, and that’s to provide a quality education.”

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 then able to apply for Celebration status by documenting efforts used to increase student achievement. The department selects schools based on their ability to effectively document best practices that have led to student success to receive the Celebration school recognition. Celebration-eligible schools are identified each year.