CENTRALIA, IL — Raccoon Consolidated School District 1 in Centralia has been named as a National Blue Ribbon School.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Tuesday recognized 325 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021, including 18 schools in Illinois that included Raccoon.

The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

Okawville Grade School, West Washington County Community School District 10, and Taylorville – Taylorville Jr High School, Taylorville Community Unit School District 3 were two other Illinois schools recognized for their achievements.

The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.

Now in its 39th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.