The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program was one of the United States Department of Education’s (USED) longest-running recognition programs. Established in 1982 by Terrell H. Bell, then United States Secretary of Education, this prestigious award recognized schools with exemplary academic achievement and those that excelled at closing achievement gaps. Using criteria established by the USED, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) was invited to select up to 13 public schools to receive the award annually.
In August 2025, USED notified states it had discontinued the program and encouraged state education agencies to continue recognizing high-performing schools. In response, MDE hosted an event in November 2025 to honor the schools that had already completed the USED recognition process. These 13 schools were designated as the inaugural cohort of Michigan Blue Ribbon Schools (MBRS).
This page provides information about the award program. View Michigan/National Blue Ribbon awarded schools by year below.
Moving forward, MDE will continue to recognize Michigan’s highest-performing schools by selecting up to 20 schools annually across two categories:
More information on school eligibility criteria, school selection, and the school recognition process for the prestigious MBRS award can be found in the 2026 Michigan Blue Ribbon Schools Guidance document.
Use the links below to view Michigan/National Blue Ribbon Schools awardees for the respective year.
