Mountain View Elementary among 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools

GOLETA, Calif. - Educators and families at Mountain View Elementary School hold special bragging rights this year.

The public K-6 campus in the Goleta Union School District was chosen among 325 schools in the country as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Mountain honored the schools on Tuesday.

Mountain View Elementary School Principal Joanna Lauer said she was incredibly proud but also humbled by the distinction.

"We're thrilled," said Lauer. "It was a collective effort on everybody's part. Everybody worked so hard in our school."

The recognition is based on two criteria: Exemplary High-Performing Schools; Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools. Mountain View Elementary was honored for the latter.

"In our school we look at how various sub-groups are performing and we want to close the gap between different groups of students," said Lauer. "And we were able to do that. We're really excited about that and achieve great gains in learning every year."

Lauer noted that work is always continuing but overall, students made gains even through remote learning during the pandemic.

"For grade levels that need some more additional support, we're doubling down on our intervention and our small group instruction."

Mountain View's current student population is 329. Classes are no larger than 24 students.