Yesterday, Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. announced the names of the recipients of the 2016 President’s Education Awards Program (PEAP).

In total, 3 million students from more than 30,000 public, private and military schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands received the distinction for academic excellence.

Recommended to the department by the school’s principal, elementary, middle and high school students are all eligible for the award.

According to the department, the distinction is split into two awards: The President’s Award for Educational Excellence and The President’s Award for Educational Achievement.

The award for educational excellence requires that students meet a certain grade point average, school-set criteria and either excel on state tests or be teacher-recommended.

Students who do not meet these academic requirements can still be recognized by the department under the educational achievement award, however.

“This award recognizes students that show outstanding educational growth, improvement, commitment or intellectual development in their academic subjects but do not meet the criteria for the Educational Excellence Award. Its purpose is to encourage and reward students who give their best effort, often in the face of special obstacles. Criteria for this award is developed at each school,” the department said in a press release.

For this award, criteria is developed specifically by the student’s principal. The department emphasizes that students who display achievement in the arts such as music or theatre should be recognized for the award.

Founded in 1983, the award program has no limits for how many students can be recognized, hence 3 million students receiving distinctions this year alone, a similar number to years prior.

To see what schools in your state have students receiving the honor, see here.

Nicole Gorman, Senior Education World Contributor

6.17.2016