Findlay Elementary Earns Rare Blue Ribbon Honor

Findlay Elementary School is being recognized for something few schools in Tennessee — and even fewer in the Upper Cumberland — have ever achieved.

The Sparta school has been named a 2025 Blue Ribbon School, one of the nation's most prestigious recognitions for academic excellence. The honor places Findlay among just six public schools in Tennessee selected for recognition this year.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program was established in 1982 to recognize schools that demonstrate high levels of academic achievement or significant progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups. More than 9,000 schools nationwide have received the distinction over the program's history.

For White County Schools, the recognition places Findlay in rare company.

According to Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger, Findlay Elementary is only the third school in the Upper Cumberland region to earn Blue Ribbon recognition since the program began more than four decades ago. York Institute received the honor in 1989, followed by Trousdale County High School in 2015.

Findlay Elementary, led by Principal Rebecca Ryan, serves students on Sparta's northeast side and has built a reputation for strong academic performance and student achievement. The Blue Ribbon designation further cements the school's place among Tennessee's top-performing schools.

"We are incredibly proud to see Findlay Elementary School receive the prestigious National Blue Ribbon School designation from the U.S. Department of Education. This honor is a direct reflection of the hard work, passion, and pursuit of excellence demonstrated daily by our phenomenal educators, staff, students, and families," Dronebarger said. "It proves that when a community unites with a shared vision for success, our students can achieve at the highest levels and compete with any school in the nation."

The recognition comes during a unique year for the program. According to information provided to the State Board of Education, the U.S. Department of Education ended the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program shortly before 2025 honorees were scheduled to be recognized in Washington, D.C. The Tennessee Department of Education chose to continue honoring the schools and their accomplishments at the state level.

While schools across Tennessee are recognized each year for academic achievement, Blue Ribbon status remains rare. For White County Schools, the designation places Findlay Elementary among a small group of schools in the Upper Cumberland to have earned the honor since the program began more than 40 years ago.