VOORHEESVILLE — This Tuesday afternoon, Voorheesville Elementary School was one of 239 elementary schools in the nation named a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education.

The school was invited to apply by the department due to its high performance in previous years, and the application process began this February. The application included a series of narratives about the school, its programs and character, as well as some data.

“We were able to construct those narratives based on our school’s great teachers,” Thomas Reardon, principal of Voorheesville Elementary School, told The Enterprise.

Nineteen schools from New York and 337 schools across the nation were invited to apply for the award.

While the award doesn’t get bestowed every year, when it does come around, Voorheesville Elementary School may be invited to apply again if it keeps up its high performance.

“I think it’s yet another testament that the value of the Voorheesville Elementary School is irreplaceable,” Reardon said of the school receiving the award.

The last time the school was given Blue Ribbon status was in 1992.

The school was named an Exemplary High Performing School, which, according to a release from the education department, “are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates are also at the highest levels.”

Reardon emphasized he isn’t just being a “proud principal,” but is glad that now the nation, not just the school’s employees, can see his school’s great performance.

“I’m so proud of our building,” Reardon said. “It’s a true honor.”