Central High School has been honored as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education for the third time in the school’s history, writes Mike DeNardo for KYW Newsradio.

The Philadelphia magnet school was previously named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1987 and 2011, respectively.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event in a principal’s career,” said Central High School President Kate Davis. “It is not only an accomplishment for my teachers and my students, but for our entire school community.”

The U.S. Department of Education gives out the Blue Ribbon designation to schools with outstanding academic performance or for closing achievement gaps.

To award the honor, the U.S. Department of Education examined information about Central’s instructional programs, advanced classes, and extracurricular activities.

“We really do a lot of work to make sure each year we’re cultivating a more supportive environment for students, whether we’re talking about their emotional health, mental health, their academic success, all of the above,” said Davis.

Central High bills itself as the “second oldest continuously public high school” in the United States.

Read more about Central High and the 12 other Pennsylvania schools that earned a Blue Ribbon distinction this year in KYW Newsradio.

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