The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the State Board of Education (SBE) announced that 186 schools across the state will be honored with 2011 Washington Achievement Awards, including Ballard High School and Loyal Heights Elementary.

These schools were selected based on their performance on the Achievement Index, a comprehensive measurement of Washington schools’ performance over time.

“We are very proud of our award-winning schools,” said Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield. “The Washington Achievement Award is highly selective and measures a school’s continuous improvement over the course of several years. I am particularly proud that Seattle’s number of award-winning schools increased to 21 this year, up from 13 schools recognized in 2010 and seven recognized in 2009.”

The Washington Achievement Award is given to elementary, middle, high, and comprehensive schools in eight different categories: overall excellence, overall excellence for gifted programs, and special recognition for outstanding achievement in the following subcategories: language arts, math, science, extended graduation rate (high and comprehensive schools only), improvement, and closing the achievement gap.

Ballard High School, Loyal Heights Elementary School, West Woodland Elementary are all being honored for overall excellence.

Some schools, like Loyal Heights and Ballard High School, were honored in more than one of these categories.

In addition to overall excellence, Loyal Heights Elementary is also receiving a special recognition for its outstanding achievements in science.

Ballard High School, in addition to its overall excellence, will also receive a special recognition for closing the achievement gap.

“We are so proud of the hard work of our principals, teachers, staff, students, and families in these school communities,” Enfield said. “Congratulations on this extraordinary achievement. We are very proud of our schools and look forward to continued success.”

The award-winning schools will be honored during a ceremony on April 25 at Mariner High School in Everett.