Carderock Springs Elementary School in Bethesda has been named by the Maryland State Department of Education as one of six Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence for 2003. The schools will be among those competing nationally for the U.S. Department of Education No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

The Maryland schools were selected on the basis of the new national award criteria for the Blue Ribbon Program that identifies both high performing schools and schools that have made significant gains in communities heavily impacted by poverty.

Carderock Springs Elementary, whose principal is Dr. Linda Jackson Jones, was selected along with two other schools for being among the top 10 percent of all Maryland elementary schools as measured by Maryland assessments.

Another three schools, which were described as economically disadvantaged, were selected on the basis of having demonstrated significant improvement on the state assessments over at least the past three years.

In addition to Carderock Springs Elementary, the state selections include: Beacon Heights Elementary in Prince George's County, Carroll Manor Elementary in Baltimore County, Centennial Lane Elementary in Howard County, Preston Elementary in Caroline County, and Snow Hill Elementary in Worcester County.

The schools will be honored at a dinner banquet in Annapolis at the Governor Calvert House on March 8, 2004. They also will be recognized with a special tribute by the Maryland General Assembly during the upcoming session and receive Maryland's Blue Ribbon Flag of Excellence.