Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly) has been named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School in the Exemplary High-Performing category, based on its outstanding academic performance on national and state assessments.
The Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which ended after the 2019-20 school year, has been reinstated following the U.S. Department of Education’s decision in August to discontinue the long-running National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
The state program will operate in collaboration with the Maryland State Department of Education, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and the Archdiocese of Washington. Schools are considered for the Blue Ribbon distinction based on student performance on national and state assessments, as well as efforts to narrow performance disparities between student groups compared to the state average.
This year’s Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools will be formally honored in November at the State Board of Education meeting and next spring by the State Senate and House of Delegates in Annapolis. The schools will also receive a Maryland Blue Ribbon School banner, flag, and award citations.
Eligibility guidelines and the application timeline for the 2026-27 Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools Program will be released later this year to public and private schools.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognized schools for academic performance or progress in closing student achievement gaps. It was the highest honor bestowed upon schools by the U.S. Department of Education. Established in 1982, the award recognized public and private elementary, middle, and high schools in either or both of two performance award categories: Exemplary High Performing or Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing.