Six schools in the Kent School District and one school in the Tahoma School District are 2011 Washington Achievement Award recipients.

Kent-Meridian High School, Kent Mountain View Academy, Kent Elementary, Neely-O’Brien Elementary, Sawyer Woods Elementary, and Mattson Elementary received the award from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington State Board of Education.

The Washington Achievement Award celebrates schools for overall excellence and special recognition in: language arts, math, science, graduation rate, improvement, and closing achievement gaps.

Schools are selected based on their statewide assessment data for the three previous years.

Kent Elementary and Kent Mountain View Academy received the award in 2010.

The schools were recognized in the following categories:

Extended Graduation Rate

Kent-Meridian High School

Kent Mountain View Academy

Overall Excellence

Kent Elementary

Glacier Park Elementary

Closing Achievement Gap

Mattson Middle School

Neely-O’Brien Elementary

Sawyer Woods Elementary

Kent School District Superintendent Dr. Edward Lee Vargas stated, “This is a tremendous honor for these schools and the students, staff, parents, and community members who work so hard to make success happen each and every day with our students. Last year, Kent School District had two schools earn this award, and now we have six schools earning this prestigious honor. This this speaks to the determination of our students and staff members to help every child succeed, and shows how the district is making progress to meet our goals set forth in the strategic plan. On behalf of our school board, I congratulate all six of these schools for their wonderful achievements.”