Main Elementary School in Rome has been named a 2006 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Main Elementary is one of six Georgia schools to receive the honor.

The Georgia schools were among a second group of honorees to be named Blue Ribbon Schools. The first 250 schools were announced in September. A list of honored schools appears on the U.S. Department of Education Web site.

Georgia state education officials confirmed the honor for the Rome school.

We're extremely pleased to have six schools in Georgia named national Blue Ribbon Schools," said Matt Cardoza, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Education. "We're happy for Rome. This national honor recognizes superior academics. It means it's a school of excellence and a should be a source of pride for the community."

Cordoza said school representatives will be invited to Washington, D.C., to be honored in November.

The No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria:

1. Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests ... or

2. Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or in the case of private schools in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally-normed tests.

Click here for a complete list of Blue Ribbon schools. No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program Online

See Friday's Rome News-Tribune for a complete story.

OTHER GEORGIA BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS

Alexander II Magnet School


1156 College Street


Macon, GA 31201-1700
Dawson County High School


1665 Perimeter Road


P.O. Box 129


Dawsonville, GA 30534-1665
Kedron Elementary School


200 Kedron Drive


Peachtree City, GA 30269-3920
Main Elementary School


3 Watters Street


Rome, GA 30161-5568
Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet School


324 Lockett Station Road


Albany, GA 31721-4005
Savannah Arts Academy


500 Washington Avenue


Savannah, GA 31405-2322