Julia Green Elementary School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2020, one of 367 schools in the country to receive this recognition. The Blue Ribbon Award is a prestigious national honor presented to schools of excellence.

Led by Principal Andrew Davis, Julia Green is now one of 17 MNPS Blue Ribbon Schools since the federal program’s start in 1982.   

“This is a great honor for our school and is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication by our staff, students, and families to achieve excellence,” Dr. Davis said. “We are constantly asking ourselves, ‘How can we do better?’ so that we provide the best learning environment possible for the children we serve.”

Julia Green earned the Exemplary High Performing Schools status, indicating they are among the state’s highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments.

“The strength of Julia Green, or ‘JG’ as the community calls it, is the sense of community that permeates physically and culturally throughout the school,” the U.S. Department of Education said on its website. “People - students, staff, and parents - feel connected in creating a school that fulfills the mission of creating a foundation that encourages compassion, tolerance, integrity, and a commitment to learning.

“The school partners with the families in working on educating the ‘whole child' at Julia Green. Whether it is the volunteers in the classroom or the PTO that supports the school financially by supplementing what the district provides at the direction of the administration and staff that help Julia Green be one of the highest achieving K-8 schools in the State of Tennessee. The teachers expect students to grow at least a year regardless of where they begin the year

Teachers provide differentiated instruction that creates a classroom where one student might be receiving remediation next to a student that is receiving enrichment, yet throughout the day, the students are learning together.”

“I’m proud to represent such a distinguished and accomplished school that is providing great opportunities to students even under these very challenging times,” said Gini Pupo-Walker, Metro Nashville Board of Education Member for District 8. “This award is a testament to the collective effort by teachers, staff, students, and their families to create an enriching and welcoming learning environment.”