George Washington Carver Elementary School Named 2026 National ESEA Distinguished School Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Dr. J. Scott Smith, Superintendent of Schools, 301-475-5511, ext. 32178
Dr. Joseph Beavers, Deputy Superintendent of Schools, 301-475-5511, ext. 32135

LEONARDTOWN, MD – St. Mary’s County Public Schools is pleased to announce that George Washington Carver Elementary School (GWCES) has been named a National ESEA Distinguished School by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).
 
The National Association of ESEA State Program Administration (NAESPA) publicly recognizes up to two Title I schools from each state receiving federal funding for their outstanding achievement in education in one of three categories.

GWCES was awarded this distinction for: Closing the achievement gap between student groups, as determined by the state.  GWCES demonstrated exceptional progress in raising achievement among Multilingual Learners (MLs), students identified as two or more races, and Hispanic students, resulting in measurable gains in narrowing achievement gaps on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) and other data sources for 3 consecutive years.

As a Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school, GWCES serves as a model for school improvement across the state. The progress made in closing gaps for ML, two or more races, and Hispanic students, sometimes outperforming the state average.  

Dr. James S. Smith, Superintendent stated, “What fantastic news and validation of the hard work done on behalf of our students.”  The award will be formally presented at the ESEA National Conference in February 2026.