Recognized NC STEM Schools of Distinction

In the school year 2014-15, eleven schools in North Carolina were the first to be honored before the North Carolina State Board of Education for their exemplary leadership and instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.  The STEM Recognition Program and application process was developed in partnership with representatives from NCDPI, North Carolina schools, business and industry, post-secondary institutions, and STEM-related experts leading a review team, as a way to identify and recognize outstanding STEM schools and STEM programs; which has been established as one of the country's most rigorous programs to commemorate educational excellence.

These recognized schools represent the very best in STEM education in North Carolina which exemplify outstanding leadership and learning and empower keen creative thinking, reasoning, and teamwork: the underpinnings of 21st-century skills; in addition to implementing the essential STEM Attributes needed to be successful in today's society. 

Schools receiving this honor undergo a rigorous application process that requires: detailed responses demonstrating STEM implementation covering the Key Elements that define the quality characteristics rooted within the Five Overarching Principles; including strategic class documents and video evidence, a self-assessment of their school aligning to the STEM Schools Progress rubric and identification of educational excellence. These criteria, along with a panel of reviewers' consensus that evidence presented represented the highest levels of attainment and a site visit; led to the designations.

Return to STEM Schools of Distinction Webpage

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STEM Education and Leadership