School of Excellence

In This Section



Notes from the Backpack Podcast

Join PTA For Your Child


National PTA School of Excellence

National PTA School of Excellence Program

National PTA School of Excellence recognition program opens the lines of communication and critical thinking within school communities to make data-driven decisions that yield positive, long-term results. School of Excellence is committed to supporting and recognizing partnerships between local PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.    

Start Your Journey to Excellence

 
The enrollment period for the 2023-2024 National PTA School of Excellence program is NOW CLOSED. Enrollment closed on Oct. 15. You can check which local units are enrolled and actively working to achieve the 2023-2025 School of Excellence designation using this running list. Click the link and choose "Export to: Excel" to access an automatically updated report. 

Email Excellence@PTA.org with any questions.
Note: The School of Excellence program is designed for individual and local PTA units to make a direct impact at their schools. Therefore, the School of Excellence designation should not be sought by multiple schools under one PTA. 



Parsons ES PTA

Tierra Bonita Elementary PTA



National PTA is Committed to Excellence

Over 40 years of research shows increased family engagement is linked to school improvement and student achievement. By enrolling in this program, your PTA and school administrators are making a year-long commitment in identifying and implementing an action plan for school improvement based on PTA's National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.

The School of Excellence Program aims to: 

  • Provide a framework for PTAs to identify and implement best practices in family engagement to strengthen family-school partnerships.

  • Build inclusive and welcoming school communities where all families contribute to enriching the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.

  • Help PTAs attract new, action-oriented PTA members who want to focus on the issues that affect our children the most.  

  • Provide step-by-step guidance and networking opportunities for PTAs to gain support and feedback, identify and reach goals and earn recognition. 

  • Celebrate designees and top Phoebe Apperson Hearst awardees as national leaders in building effective family-school partnerships, which opens up additional honors and opportunities.

Steps to Becoming a National PTA School of Excellence

 

Standards Steps
Learn more about each step (en español)

Step 1. Enroll and Get Started (May 1 – Oct. 15)

Step 2. Gather and Analyze Community Feedback (August – Nov. 15)

Step 3. Build an Excellence Action Plan and Check Back with your Community (November  – May)

Step 4. Reflect On and Summarize Progress (May 1 - June 15)

Step 5. Celebrate Your Excellence (Aug.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the School of Excellence program:

School of Excellence FAQ
School of Excellence FAQ (en español)

PHOTO-SoE-2022-School-05
PHOTO-2019-SoE-1

PHOTO-SoE-2022-School-01

PHOTO-SoE-2022-School-04



What Schools Say about the Program

 
SOE-Quotes_Mike-Miller SOE-Quotes_Kaiserslautern SOE-Quotes_Highland SOE-Quotes_Parkland SOE-Quotes_Morgan SOE-Quotes_Norup SOE-Quotes_Phillips SOE-Quotes_Lutz SOE-Quotes_Herndon SOE-Quotes_Farmington-STEAM SOE-Quotes_George-Washington SOE-Quotes_Falling-Creek SOE-Quote_Chickahominy-Middle SOE-Quote_CC-Duff SOE-Quote_Brookview SOE-Quote_Barksdale

The School of Excellence Program is a powerful tool that can benefit everyone. It brings to light ways that the school/PTA can improve, but it also celebrates successes. It can be a visual reminder of everything we have accomplished together as a school and PTA.
– Lee Heinerikson, Thomas B. Chinn Elementary Principal, Missouri


This program has opened up important dialogues that will positively impact our school community. In some areas it has validated our work. In some areas, it has brought things to our attention that we hadn't considered.
– Christopher Moretti, Hawley Elementary School Principal, Connecticut


The award provides an example of how the PTA, community and school have a bond and interest in ensuring that our students succeed. It's an opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments while setting goals towards future challenges.
– Dr. Gregory Matlosz, Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School Principal, New Jersey




Designated Schools of Excellence

 

The School of Excellence designation helps attract new, action-oriented PTA members and opens the door to other honors and opportunities for your school. Designees receive a National PTA School of Excellence banner to hang prominently at their school, which tells families right away–you are welcome here and you are important to our students’ success!

Find PTA units that have achieved the designation in your state and get inspired to achieve Excellence!

Past Schools of Excellence

You can view past Schools of Excellence from 2014-2016, 2015-2017, 2016-2018, 2017-2019, 2018-2020, 2019-2021, 2020-2022, 2021-2023 and 2022-2024.

Review these data reports to learn more about past designees:

 

Congratulations 2022-2024 Designees and 2023 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Awardees!

 

2022-2024 Schools of ExcellenceThe 2022-2024 National PTA Schools of Excellence are designated in recognition of their commitment to building an inclusive and welcoming school-community where all families contribute to enriching the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.

Also, please join us in congratulating the top three Schools of Excellence and recipients of the 2023 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Award Recipients: 

  • Bells Ferry Elementary PTA (Georgia) - Phoebe Apperson Hearst Outstanding Family-School Partnership Award  
  • Chaparral Elementary PTA (New Mexico) - Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit 
  • Twin Echo Elementary PTA (Illinois) - Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit 
Stay tuned on social media at @NationalPTA and through National PTA's e-newsletters as we continue celebrate these PTAs and schools for their incredible efforts to enhance family-school partnerships and improve student success! 
 

National PTA is Here to Support You

 

As a PTA leader, you know your school community best. But know, you are never alone!

National PTA is here to support you. All National PTA programming is ready-to-go and comes with a team of support, allowing you to focus on what matters most – your families. Remember to stay connected with National PTA for additional resources and opportunities: 



Questions?

Reach out to us at Excellence@PTA.org with any questions along the way.