11 area schools earn state distinction

Nine of the recipients are elementary schools from Mahoning County .

BOARDMAN — A total of 11 public schools in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties have made the state’s list of “Schools of Distinction.”

The honor recognizes schools where at least 75 percent of all pupils, including those with disabilities, scored proficient or above on achievement tests and the Ohio Graduation Tests in reading and mathematics last year.

The selections were announced by Susan Tave Zelman, state superintendent of public instruction.

Only 96 Ohio schools received the honor this year. Of the locals, nine are from Mahoning County while Trumbull and Columbiana each had one.

Case studies from the past two years show that Schools of Distinction design excellent instruction and provide appropriate support to ensure that all pupils succeed, Zelman said.

Watson Elementary School in Austintown won the recognition for a second consecutive year while Lloyd Elementary in Austintown achieved it for the first time.

In Boardman, both Robinwood Lane Elementary and Stadium Drive Elementary earned the accolade for the second consecutive year.

Canfield’s Hilltop Elementary won it for the second consecutive year, while the district’s C.H. Campbell Elementary reached it for the first time.

Poland’s McKinley Elementary was a first-time recipient as was Springfield’s Springfield Elementary. South Range Elementary achieved the honor for a second consecutive year.

West Point Elementary in the Beaver schools and Prospect Elementary School in the Girard city schools also were named for the first time.

Both Lloyd Elementary and South Range Elementary also have been recognized as nominees for the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon School of Excellence honor, an award for schools that make significant progress in closing achievement gaps or whose students perform at the highest levels in their states. Honorees will be announced at a later date.

Two Mahoning County schools also made the state’s Schools of Promise list for schools in which all demographic groups of pupils are achieving proficiency, even when the school has large percentages of low-income children.

Davis Elementary in Austintown was awarded that honor for the third consecutive year, while Market Street Elementary in Boardman was recognized for the first time.

Schools of Distinction and Promise will receive banners from the state signifying their designations.

The Mahoning County Career & Technical Center earned the High Schools That Work Gold Improvement Award this year from the Southern Regional Educational Board in recognition of significant gains in reading, math and science based on 2004 and 2006 scores on the High Schools that Work Assessment.