On September 9, 2008 U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that St. Bernadette’s will be one of only 320 schools in the entire country awarded the highly regarded No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon distinction. To qualify for this honor a school must either show dramatic gains in the achievement of their students or be judged as academically superior by the U. S. Department of Education.

The students of St. Bernadette’s School earned the No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School distinction by scoring in the top 10 percent of students in the nation on nationally-normed tests. St. Bernadette’s School was the only private school in all of New York State to receive this distinguished honor.

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn in response to the news said “I congratulate St. Bernadette’s School, and admire the capable leadership of Sr. Joan DiRienzo and our dedicated teachers. This is a great achievement for the entire St. Bernadette’s School community.” The Bishop continued, “ St. Bernadette’s is a shining example of the quality education offered by our Catholic Schools.”

Earlier in the summer the New York State 2008 ELA and Math Tests indicated that Catholic school students in Brooklyn and Queens far outperformed peers in local New York City Public Schools as well as public schools throughout New York State.

In October, principal Sr. Joan DiRienzo and representatives of the school will receive the award at the national recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C.