Thomas W. Pyle Middle School in Bethesda has been named a National 2006 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School for 2006 by the U. S. Department of Education for its outstanding academic achievement and dramatic improvement within subgroups at the school.

Pyle is the 32nd National Blue Ribbon winner in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) since the recognition program began in 1985 and the eighth school selected since 1999, during a time in which the qualification rules increased significantly.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes schools whose students achieve at very high levels, or schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap among student groups. Pyle is among six Maryland elementary and middle schools and 250 schools throughout the nation who received the honor.

Students at Pyle have consistently scored in the top 10 percent of all Maryland middle schools on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) in mathematics and reading.

Overall, during the 2004-2005 school year, 91.1 percent of students were proficient on the mathematics section of the MSA and 95.7 percent were proficient on the reading section, an increase ranging from 3 to 5 percent over the previous year.

There also has been dramatic improvement within subgroups at the school. For example, African American students’ proficiency rate in mathematics went from 30 percent in 2003 to almost 66 percent in 2005. The proficiency rate of students with limited English skills increased from 42 percent in 2003 to almost 79 percent in 2005.

Pyle Principal Michael Zarchin attributes the school’s success to a combination of parental involvement, a hardworking staff, and students who have a strong work ethic. “The whole community works together and supports everything that goes on in the building,” he said.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools awards ceremony will take place on Friday, November 10, beginning at 12:30 p.m., at the Washington Hilton and Towers in Washington, D. C.