Four Highline schools will be recognized with the 2009 Washington Achievement Award. The award celebrates the state's top-performing schools and recognizes achievement in several categories: language arts, math, science, gifted education, graduation rate, and overall excellence.
The four Highline schools to receive the award are:
Aviation High School - Science, Overall Excellence
Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment (ACE) - Language Arts
Health Sciences and Human Services High School (HS3) - Language Arts
Marvista Elementary - Science

The award was created by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the state Board of Education. This highly selective award is based on schools' performance according to the newly created School Accountability Index, a comprehensive measurement of how schools in Washington are performing over time.

Schools are selected for the award based on their state assessment data for the previous three years.
"The selection process for the Washington Achievement Award is very rigorous, and your staff, students, parents, and community can take real pride in being part of this elite group," says State Superintendent Randy Dorn.

"These awards show the progress we are making in student achievement," says Highline Superintendent John Welch. "We have seen that when we raise the bar and hold students to high expectations, they meet and even exceed them."
The award-winning schools will be recognized at a state awards ceremony in Renton on May 5.