St. Pius X School to receive 2025 Blue Ribbon recognition for academic achievement
We are proud to announce that St. Pius X School is the only private school in all of New York State to receive the prestigious 2025 Blue Ribbon School Award. This is a distinction that recognizes overall academic excellence and progress in closing achievement gaps.
The U.S. Department of Education originally selected St. Pius X School as a 2025 Blue Ribbon Award recipient. However, the federal Blue Ribbon Schools Program was abruptly discontinued due to federal budget cuts. In response, the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) stepped forward to preserve this important tradition of recognizing excellence by establishing the CAPE Blue Ribbon School Award. Through this effort, CAPE ensured that outstanding private schools, including St. Pius X, received the honor they earned.
For clarification: It is no longer considered a DOE designation; it has been renamed the CAPE Blue Ribbon School Award. This only covers private schools that were nominated. It’s not clear if anything will be done for the public schools that were nominated prior to budget cuts.
To celebrate this extraordinary achievement, we will be unveiling our Blue Ribbon banner at our festive Halloween parade to hundreds of parents and community members. This moment is expected to be highly visual with audible cheers and excitement. Our principal, Matthew Rucinski, Rev. James Walsh of St. Pius X Church, school board members, and proud parents will be available for interviews following the announcement.
“This honor is a testament to the strength of our faith, our commitment to academic excellence, and the hard work of our entire school community,” said Matthew Rucinski, Principal of St. Pius X School. “At St. Pius X, Where Faith Leads and Excellence Follows, our students are encouraged to grow spiritually, intellectually, and personally in a nurturing environment.”
St. Pius X School serves more than six hundred students in Pre-K through 8th grade and is committed to providing academic excellence in a faith-filled Catholic environment. St. Pius X continues to be a leader in Catholic education in the Capital Region with strong academic performance, music and arts programming, and a culture of service.
For more information, you can contact our school office at 518-465-4539. For more information about CAPE Blue Ribbon Schools, visit https://capenetwork.org/
