Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland was recognized Sept. 23 as one of the best schools in the nation as the U.S. Department of Education named the coeducational Catholic high school as a recipient of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Award for 2024.
A total of 356 schools were honored nationwide, with only 40 non-public schools honored. Of the 40 non-public schools nationwide, 78 percent of them were Catholic.
This is the first Blue Ribbon Schools Award for Bishop McNamara, which this year marks its 60th anniversary. It is one of only 10 Maryland schools to receive the honor this year. Bishop McNamara’s designation marks the 51st time that a Catholic school in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has been singled out for this prestigious honor. (A complete list of past honorees in the Archdiocese of Washington is at the end of this article.)
“This recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School underscores our unwavering commitment to providing students with an exceptional education and school experience," Dr. John Barnhardt, president and CEO of Bishop McNamara High School, said after the honor was announced. “It reflects our dedication to academic excellence and our belief that every student deserves the best possible opportunities to achieve their fullest potential."
Kelly Branaman, the secretary for Catholic schools and the superintendent of schools for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, said that she is “so incredibly proud of our community at Bishop McNamara High School for this national distinction of excellence."
“Congratulations to the school administration, faculty, staff and students for being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence,” Branaman said “This honor spotlights the tradition of excellence and academic achievement that we know and celebrate at Bishop McNamara High School, every day. It is especially memorable to be recognized for the school’s academic achievements as the school celebrates its 60th Anniversary.”
In making the announcement, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona noted that receiving the Blue Ribbon Award “is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of these schools.”
Cardona said in his statement that Blue Ribbon Schools such as Bishop McNamara High School “are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities.”
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program – established by the U.S. Department of Education in 1982 – honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools for their academic excellence and where students are performing at very high levels.
Bishop McNamara High School was singled out by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the nation’s “Exemplary High Performing Schools,” and was recognized as “among the top performers” in the state of Maryland.
Of the total of 10 Maryland schools to receive the 2024 Blue Ribbon Schools Award honor, six were Catholic schools. Bishop McNamara was the only school in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The other five schools Maryland Catholic schools to receive the honor are located in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and they are:
- Immaculate Conception School in Towson
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Ellicott City
- St. John the Evangelist School in Severna Park
- St. Joseph School in Cockeysville
- St. Mary Elementary School in Annapolis.
The four Maryland public schools named 2024 Blue Ribbon recipients are:
- Bells Mill Elementary School in Potomac
- Chapel Hill Elementary School in Perry Hall
- Woodfield Elementary School in Gaithersburg
- Worthington Elementary School in Ellicott City
Two of the public schools – Bells Mill and Woodfield – are located within the geographical boundaries of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. Two District of Columbia non-Catholic schools were also honored with 2024 National Blue Ribbon recognition: DC Bilingual Public Charter School in Northeast Washington and Payne Elementary School in Southeast Washington.
Bishop McNamara High School opened in 1964, two years after Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle, then the archbishop of Washington, D.C., asked the Brothers of Holy Cross to administer and staff a new high school for boys. The school was named after Bishop John M. McNamara, an auxiliary bishop and vicar general of the Archdiocese of Washington who at the time of his death in 1960 had ordained more priests than any other bishop then living in the United States.
In 1991, La Reine High School, an all-girls’ school sponsored by the Bernardine Franciscan sisters located in nearby Suitland, Maryland, closed due to low enrollment. The following year, the formerly all-boys Bishop McNamara High School opened its doors to female students, becoming a coeducational high school.
In March 2023, Bishop McNamara High School opened its La Reine Science and Innovation Center. The 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility is named after the former nearby La Reine High School.
The U.S. Department of Education formally will recognize the 316 public and 40 non-public schools at Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 awards ceremonies at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Here is a list of schools in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington that previously earned National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards:
Archdiocesan Catholic Schools
• Our Lady of Victory School, Washington, D.C. (2023, 2016 and 2007)
• Our Lady of Mercy School, Potomac, Maryland (2020, 2009 and 1998)
• St. Peter’s Catholic School, Olney, Maryland (2020 and 2012)
• St. Joseph’s Regional Catholic School, Beltsville, Maryland (2019)
• St. Raphael School, Rockville, Maryland (2019)
• St. Peter School on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. (2019 and 2013)
• Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C. (2019 and 2012)
• Little Flower School, Bethesda, Maryland (2017 and 2008)
• St. John’s School, Hollywood, Maryland (2017)
• St. Peter’s School, Waldorf, Maryland (2017)
• Holy Trinity School, Washington, D.C. (2016)
• St. Patrick School, Rockville, Maryland (2016)
• St. Pius X Regional School, Bowie, Maryland (2016)
• Cardinal Hickey Academy, Owings, Maryland (2015)
• Our Lady of Lourdes, Bethesda, Maryland (2015)
• Holy Cross School, Garrett Park, Maryland (2013)
• St. John the Evangelist School, Silver Spring, Maryland (2013)
• Father Andrew White, S.J. School, Leonardtown, Maryland (2012)
• St. Jane de Chantal School, Bethesda, Maryland (2011 and 1987)
• St. Bartholomew School, Bethesda, Maryland (2011)
• Mary of Nazareth School, Darnestown, Maryland (2011)
• St. Mary School, Rockville, Maryland (2011)
• St. John the Baptist School, Silver Spring, Maryland (2010)
• Holy Redeemer School, Kensington, Maryland (2009)
• St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring, Maryland (2007 and 1989)
• St. Bernadette School, Silver Spring, Maryland (2003 and 2000)
• St. Camillus Catholic School, Silver Spring, Maryland (now St. Francis International School) (1996)
• St. Catherine Labouré School, Wheaton, Maryland (1993)
• St. Elizabeth School, Rockville, Maryland (1985)
Independent Catholic Schools
• Bishop McNamara High School, Forestville, Maryland (2024)
• Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Olney, Maryland (2001 and 1992)
• Academy of the Holy Cross, Kensington, Maryland (1997)
• Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bethesda, Maryland (1992 and 1986)
• DeMatha Catholic High School, Hyattsville, Maryland (1990 and 1983)
• Connelly School of the Holy Child, Potomac, Maryland (1988)
• Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Washington, D.C. (1986)
• Elizabeth Seton High School, Bladensburg, Maryland (1984)
