The UpStater [dot] com is reporting that U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has named Elsmere Elementary School a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School. This is the second time the K to 5 school has earned the national honor. The first time was in 2013. Elsmere is one of five elementary schools in the Bethlehem Central School District. The district serves more than 4,000 students from the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland in Albany County. The National Blue Ribbon Schools program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students’ levels of achievement. The 39-year-old program recognizes schools in one of two performance categories: “Exemplary High Performing” and “Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing,” schools. Elsmere is being acknowledged in the “Exemplary High Performing” category for having students who have demonstrated outstanding overall academic achievement. Nationwide, 264 schools are being honored in the same category. “We were thrilled to hear the news today,” said Elsmere Principal Kate Kloss. “Though it is our second time receiving this honor, somehow it feels particularly special today, in 2022. Read the full story at The UpStater [dot] com.