Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) congratulated Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health & Science in Neptune on Wednesday, on being recognized as one of the top-performing schools in the country with a National Blue Ribbon School honor by the U.S. Department of Education.

“There are few greater priorities we should have as a country than the education of our children, and I am thrilled that Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health & Science is being honored as a national Blue Ribbon School for its exemplary record in this regard,” Rep. Smith stated. “The academy earned this honor for not only its outstanding test results among all students, but its high graduation rate—exemplifying both excellence in education and in ensuring that all students are well-served by its teachers and staff.”

“This is Allied’s third designation as a National Blue Ribbon School. This designation reflects the sustained hard work and dedication of Allied’s staff and students, as well as the support provided by the school’s families and our community and health care industry partners,” said Paul F. Mucciarone, Principal of the Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health and Science. “Since we draw students from throughout the county, it is also important to acknowledge that this award reflects how well the local Monmouth County school districts have prepared our students for the rigors of our career-focused high school curriculum.” 

Across the country, 349 public and private schools have been honored as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2018—including 49 New Jersey schools—representing 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and military bases. Since 1982, more than 8,500 schools around the country have received the award.

The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master a challenging curriculum. The National Blue Ribbon School flag gracing an entry or flying overhead is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.

Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health & Science was honored as an “Exemplary High Performing School,” meeting the criteria of its students performing in the top 15 percent of testing for English language arts and mathematics for state and/or national tests, the disaggregated results for student groups being similar to the results of all students, and a graduation rate of 95 percent or higher.

“Congratulations to the staff, students, and parents for their collective effort to earn this greatly-desired award,” Smith said. “Hard work pays off. It’s certainly something to brag about.”

Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health & Science was one of four schools in Smith’s Fourth Congressional District to be recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools. The three other schools were: St. Leo School in Lincroft; St. Catharine School in Spring Lake; and St. James Elementary School in Red Bank.          

The list of all 2018 National Blue Ribbon Schools is available on the U. S. Department of Education’s website at https://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2018/national.pdf.