Cognia Announces 2024 Schools and Systems of Distinction

60 Schools and School Systems across the globe recognized for excellence in education

ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cognia^®, the global nonprofit school improvement organization that helps grow learners, teachers, and leaders, has announced its list of Schools of Distinction among Cognia Accredited schools and districts. These 60 Schools and Systems of Distinction earned this recognition based on the results of Cognia’s rigorous Accreditation Engagement Review process. The 2024 Schools of Distinction are listed on the Cognia website.

During the 2023-2024 school year, Cognia conducted approximately 1,952 accreditation engagement reviews. Of the 60 institutions recognized this year, 41 schools and 11 systems are in the U.S. across 23 states and Puerto Rico, and eight are international schools across five countries. The number of institutions reviewed and those that earn this designation vary from year to year. Winners carry the designation for one year.

“Congratulations to the 2024 Schools and Systems of Distinction for demonstrating excellence in education in meeting the Cognia Performance Standards,” said Cognia president and CEO Dr. Mark A. Elgart. “These institutions are benchmarks of school quality in their commitment to continuous improvement.”

Based on their 2023–2024 Cognia Accreditation Engagement Review results, these schools and systems demonstrated evidence of high-quality teaching and learning. Institutions were evaluated and provided evidence of growth in learning, a healthy culture for learning, engaging and high-quality instructional environments, and effective leadership for learning—all characteristics Cognia expects to see in quality schools.

Candidates for Cognia Accreditation and reaccreditation participate in a rigorous evaluation process that includes a period of self-assessment, an evaluation conducted by trained external, third-party evaluators, and an improvement phase focused on the evaluation's results. The Cognia Performance Standards for K-12 accreditation are based on the latest research and understanding of learning, teaching, and leading. Once accredited, an institution engages in a similar engagement review process at least every six years to maintain Cognia Accreditation.

About Cognia

Cognia is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers, and leaders. Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, and improvement services within a framework of continuous improvement. Serving 40,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 90 countries, Cognia brings a global perspective to advancing teaching and learning. Find out more at cognia.org.