The Kansas State Department of Education’s Special Education and Title Services (SETS) team would like to congratulate Westview Elementary School, Olathe Unified School District 233, and Hillsboro Elementary School, Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh USD 410, for receiving ESEA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Distinguished Schools awards. 

The schools were recognized earlier this month at the Kansas State Board of Education meeting. 

Hillsboro Elementary School was recognized in category 1 – Exceptional Student Performance for Two or More Consecutive Years.  

Hillsboro Elementary serves 313 students in grades pre-K-5. It is located in Hillsboro, which is a rural town with a population of 2,800. Forty-seven percent of the Hillsboro Elementary School student body qualifies for free and reduced-price meals.  

Westview Elementary School was recognized in category 2 – Closing the Achievement Gap Between Student Groups. 

The school serves 164 students in grades K-5. The school is considered urban and is located in Olathe, a city with a population of 143,014. Seventy-six percent of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals.  

The National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program publicly recognizes qualifying federally funded schools for positive educational advances and the outstanding academic achievement of their students, according to eseanetwork.org. Established in 1996, the program showcased hundreds of schools identified by state education agencies for their success in one of three categories: 

• Category 1: Schools exhibiting exceptional student growth performance and academic growth. 
• Category 2: Schools that have closed the achievement gap between student groups. 
• Category 3: Schools that show excellence in serving special populations of students (homeless, migrant, English learners, etc.). 
   

Since 2012, Kansas has had 18 schools recognized through the program. 

Schools are selected by their state education agency (up to two schools per state) and collectively exhibit the following common characteristics: 

• A poverty rate of at least 35% for the selected year. 
• Demonstrated high academic achievement, which can include high academic growth. 
• Met or exceeded state-determined accountability criteria. 

All National ESEA Distinguished Schools are honored with a commemorative award package, a dedicated section on the ESEA Network website and receive special recognition at the National ESEA Conference. 

Congratulations, Hillsboro and Westview!