Washington School Recognition Program Honors Schools For Outstanding Achievement

Middle College High School Recognition

Middle College HS Community

I am thrilled to be able to share that MCHS has been recognized by OSPI for the Washington School Recognition Program for the 23-24 school year. We are one of 406 schools statewide to receive and award and the ONLY high school in SPS to receive an award. Only 16% of all schools in the state received an award, so this is a great testament to your work and commitment.

Our award is for: “Middle College High School: Achievement in ELA & 9th Graders On Track”

Congratulations and thank you all for your work for our students. 

~ Keven Wynkoop (he/him), Middle College High School, Principal

In addition, refer to the Seattle Public School Congratulations post

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Washington School Recognition Program Honors 406 Schools for Outstanding Achievement

OLYMPIA May 6, 2025: The Washington State Board of Education is proud to announce that 406 public schools in 154 school districts across Washington are being honored by the Washington School Recognition Program for their work in closing opportunity gaps and supporting students’ growth and academic achievement during the 2023-24 school year.

Each year, this program highlights schools that demonstrate exceptional progress in key areas of student success. This year, 16% of schools in Washington received this distinction. All state public and charter schools can be recognized. As part of being honored, each school will receive a banner to display in their buildings.

“Achieving this honor is no small feat,” said Bill Kallappa, chair of the State Board of Education. “It takes a team of dedicated educators and administrators working together to ensure that their students have the knowledge they need to be successful. And it takes great students coming to school every day ready to learn.”

The program is jointly operated by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), State Board of Education (SBE), and Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC).

How A School Qualifies

There are three routes for schools to be honored by the Washington School Recognition Program. A school can earn recognition for multiple categories each year. Recognition is based on school performance data from the Washington School Improvement Framework. 

Schools can be recognized in three categories: Closing Gaps, Growth, and Achievement. 

• Closing Gaps: Schools in this category have made significant progress in areas identified for improvement in previous school years. These areas may include English language arts and math assessment scores, English learner progress, or graduation rates. 
• Growth: Schools recognized for growth have at least one student group that has shown some of the state’s largest annual gains across multiple measures, such as attendance, assessment scores, English learner progress, graduation rates, or the percentage of ninth graders who successfully earned all their attempted credits. 
• Achievement: These schools have the state’s highest performance in at least two key areas, including attendance, dual credit completion, assessment scores in English language arts or math, graduation rates, or ninth-grade credit attainment, and are above average across all reportable student groups on the 2025 Washington School Improvement Framework. 

No matter how a school qualifies, it’s a huge honor—one that takes a dedicated team of educators, administrators, and support staff to achieve. And of course, let’s not forget the students who show up every day to learn and grow! Learn more on the Washington State School Recognition website.