An elementary school in San Francisco’s Outer Parkside neighborhood today celebrated being one of only 20 public schools in California to be named a national Blue Ribbon School.
Ulloa Elementary School, located at 2650 42nd Ave., was one of only 305 schools nationwide to receive the honor in September from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
The Blue Ribbon program honors schools whose students achieve at high levels or have successfully closed achievement gaps, particularly among disadvantaged and minority students.
About two-thirds of the 510 students at Ulloa Elementary are Chinese and a third of its students are eligible for the state’s free lunch program, according to the school district’s most recent demographic data.
Students and staff celebrated the award at the school this afternoon at an event where principal Carol Fong shared an award with the presidential seal that she received at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., last week, school district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe said.
State Sen. Leland Yee, San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia and Supervisor Carmen Chu were among the dignitaries invited to the event.
Three other Bay Area schools received the Blue Ribbon honor in September–Peralta Elementary School in Oakland, James Leitch Elementary School in Fremont and Ruskin Elementary School in San Jose.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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