Upper West Side School wins prestigious National Award

By Gus Saltonstall

In neighborhood pride, an Upper West Side school was named a Blue Ribbon Award winner from a select group by the federal Department of Education this week.

On Monday, PS 166 The Richard Rodgers School of The Arts and Technology, 132 West 89th Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue, was one of 21 schools in the state and only eight in Manhattan to receive the coveted award.

A total of 356 schools across the United States have been recognized as Blue Ribbon schools, which recognizes a school's outstanding academic performance or significant progress in closing achievement gaps.

PS 166 received express recognition as an “exemplary high-performance school”. There is no financial award associated with Blue Ribbon recognition, but it does provide, as the publication ChalkBeat described, “bragging rights.”

“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of the students and educators at each of these schools,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a news release. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools raise the bar for our nation’s students and serve as role models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities.”

PS 166 has 606 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and is led by Principal Debra Mastriano. The Upper West Side school was founded in 1898.

“Students are encouraged to strive for excellence through rigorous instruction in all content areas and through social-emotional learning constructs,” reads a description of PS 166 on Blue Ribbon’s website.

You can find out more about the school HERE.

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