The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students' levels of academic achievement. Since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has honored America's most successful public and private elementary, middle, and high schools. A National Blue Ribbon Schools flag waving overhead has become a trademark of excellence, a symbol of quality recognized by everyone from parents to policy-makers.
The Siemens Competition honors the best and brightest students for their accomplishments in math and science – students who are changing the world for the better. The recognition of students participating in the Siemens Competition is tacit recognition that high expectations spur high achievement and that academic excellence is a community effort involving parents, teachers, schools and mentors.
The Five Star School Award was created by the Commissioner's Community Involvement Council and is presented annually to those schools that have shown evidence of exemplary community involvement. In order to earn Five Star School recognition, a school must show documentation that it has achieved 100 percent of the established criteria in the following categories:  Business Partnerships, Family Involvement, Volunteerism, Student Community Service, and School Advisory Councils.
The ExploraVision competition for K-12 students engages the next generation in real world problem solving with a strong emphasis on STEM. ExploraVision challenges students envision and communicate new technology 20 years in the future through collaborative brainstorming and research of current science and technology. 
Each year, Intel honors stellar U.S. schools that inspire excellence in science and mathematics with the Schools of Distinction awards. This year, the school honored with the top prize Intel Star Innovator award received a $25,000 grant from the Intel Foundation. The Intel schools of distinction each received a $10,000 grant. The remaining finalists received $5,000. In addition, they all received a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the award ceremony on September 14, 2010.
Disney's Planet Challenge (DPC), a project-based learning environmental competition, expanded to schools across the United States in 2009. Disney´s Planet Challenge offers budding scientists the chance to use their imagination and creativity to help the planet while giving educators a new and exciting way to motivate students. The program is built around an educationally-sound curriculum that meets national and state guideline requirements.