Guilford County Schools has two of the highest-performing Title I schools in the state. Out of the state’s more than 2,500 Title I Schools, North Carolina’s State Board of Education named 78 2014-15 Title I Reward Schools, including Monticello-Brown Summit and Jefferson Elementary.

The schools were recognized for their high academic performance, and for helping to close the achievement gap. To be a Rewards School, schools must have a smaller gap between subgroups than the state average, and all subgroups must do better than the state on reading and math scores in the previous and two prior years.

“This recognition confirms that our goal at Monticello-Brown Summit Elementary, to support our students to meet their highest potential regardless of their individual circumstances, is succeeding,” says Amy Koonce, principal at Monticello-Brown. “We strive to build an equitable academic environment which embraces the whole child and addresses their needs on every level; physical, emotional, social and academic.”

“We believe both strong academic instruction and a focus on building positive relationships and celebrating good character helped us to achieve this success,” adds Cathy Batts, principal at Jefferson.

Schools were selected based on assessment data from the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years.

Title I is the largest federal education funding program for schools. Its aim is to help students who are behind academically or at risk of not meeting state academic standards. School funding is based on the number of low-income children, generally those eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program.