On September 24, the U.S. Department of Education named Notre Dame Preparatory School a 2020-2021 National Blue Ribbon School status based on its overall academic excellence. NDP recently received this recognition in 2012. This year, NDP is one of 367 schools nationwide to be recognized. In addition, it is the only independent school in the Baltimore area, the only Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and one of only 50 non-public schools included on this list. The Blue Ribbon School award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students achieve at high levels or where the achievement gap is narrowing.
“This is a tremendous honor that I am delighted to share with the entire Notre Dame Preparatory School Community,” said Sister Patricia McCarron, SSND, Ph.D., headmistress of the school. “For 147 years, Notre Dame Prep has, in the spirit of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, educated young women to transform the world. This honor affirms the core mission tenets foundational to Notre Dame Prep, namely academic excellence, spiritual growth and the practice of justice.”
Founded in 1873 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Notre Dame Preparatory School offers more than 190 college preparatory courses, including more than 24 Advanced Placement courses, for students in grades 6-12. Among NDP’s academic signature programs are STEAM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Art/Math), The Bette Ellis O’Conor Humanities Program, and extensive visual and performing arts offerings. The school’s holistic program is complemented by an active social justice program for all grades, broad and deep co-curricular offerings, age-appropriate exploration of spirituality, and extensive athletics opportunities. In 2012-2013, NDP was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a University of Maryland Top Engineering Source School. Since 2011, NDP has been consecutively named a Baltimore Sun “Top Workplace.” In addition, it is a Daily Record and Baltimore Style Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Top High School. In January 2020, the school opened the Jane Kroh Satterfield Innovation Wing which houses a medical suite, cyber classrooms, art studios, a fabrication lab, and an architecture/design studio.
The National Blue Ribbon School award ceremony will be held virtually November 12-13 in Washington, D.C. Since 1982, more than 9,000 of America’s schools have received this coveted award.
