Three Oconee County Schools have been named Title I Distinguished Schools: High Shoals Elementary School, Oconee County Primary School, and Oconee County Middle School. The Georgia Department of Education recently announced the recipients of this prestigious honor.

“Congratulations to the teachers, students, administrators, parents, and staff at High Shoals Elementary, Oconee County Primary, and Oconee County Middle for being named Title I Distinguished Schools,” said Superintendent Jason Branch. “Only 85 schools out of over 2,200 schools in Georgia received this honor, and we applaud the hard work and dedication of our school communities that achieved this level of excellence.”

A Distinguished School is among the top five percent of the state’s Title I schools with the highest CCRPI (College and Career Ready Performance Index) scores. The CCRPI scores of the honored schools are as follows:

Title I, Part A is a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This Act provides federal funds through the Georgia Department of Education to local educational agencies (LEAs) and public schools with high numbers or percentages of students taking part in the free/reduced lunch program.