It is with great excitement that we share that Riverbend Elementary has once again been selected as a finalist for the National Title I Distinguished School Award for High Performance in the state of North Carolina.

Each year, two schools from our state are recognized as the top Title I schools in Sustained Achievement or in High Progress. One school will be selected for high performance for two or more consecutive years, and one school will be selected for high progress. This year Riverbend has once again met all the eligibility requirements and is a finalist for high performance. This month, on October 26th, the winner will be announced.

Title I “Reward Schools” can be loosely defined as the top 10% of Title I Schools in the state; schools that fall in the top 10% of that group (the top 1% of all Title I schools) are asked to submit portfolios. Riverbend falls into this latter and very prestigious category. Riverbend has ranked in the top 1% of K-5 Title I Schools in the state for five consecutive years.

In the 2016-2017 school year, there were 1,443 Title I schools. Of that number, just 140 Title I schools met the criteria to be considered for the Title I Distinguished School Award. Ten percent of these schools, or just 14 schools, were asked to submit portfolios. Of the top 14 Title I schools in North Carolina, 4 schools were chosen for a visit from a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Team. This team made a visit to Riverbend on Thursday, Oct. 19th. Riverbend is extremely honored to once again be nominated for this impressive award. We are very thankful for the commitment to learning and all of the hard work put forth by both students and staff at Riverbend.

Submitted by:  Riverbend Elementary School