| Wirt County High School in Elizabeth is one of two West Virginia schools selected as a National Blue Ribbon School. Liberty Elementary School in Weirton was the second.
There are 314 schools nationwide named to the 2009 list of National Blue Ribbon Schools.
Public schools are judged based on at least one of two criteria: Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state standardized tests.
Also, schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds who demonstrate dramatic improvement and reach high levels on state tests or nationally benchmarked tests.
Wirt County High School did that.
"Both Liberty and Wirt County are examples of places where parents, teachers, administrators and the community have formed partnerships to help all students learn to high standards," said state Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine.
"Some have shown dramatic improvements in places where students are overcoming the challenges of poverty, and others serve as examples of consistent excellence that can be a resource for other schools," said US Education Secretary Anne Duncan.
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