GRUVER, TEXAS -- It's always great when you're honored for your hard work.
Gruver Elementary School is experiencing that, since being nominated for this year's National Blue Ribbon Award.
The school is one of 26 Texas schools nominated for the honor.
It's this week's Region 16 Spotlight Education report.
The Blue Ribbon Award honors schools where students achieve at high levels or where the achievement gap is narrowing.
"There are two different categories, high performing and improving, and Gruver falls into the high achieving category," said Amber Holland, Gruver Elementary Principal.
It's quite an accomplishment for what Holland calls a proud little community.
Standardized test are considered a necessary evil by many people. To be recognized for the hard work students and teachers put into them is something they couldn't be more excited about.
"This award is based on TAKS data which means our students were ranked in the top ten percent on our standardized test," said Holland.
"We're a proud little community everyone here has high expectations and a strong work ethic and we work corporately our community loves to get involved in school".
Since 1982, more than 6,500 United States schools have received this coveted award.
Gruver Independent School District won the award back in 2004. They'll have to wait until September to find out if they won this year.
