Community Charter School of Cambridge (CCSC) has been recognized as a 2025 National Blue Ribbon School Nominee by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This follows last year’s recognition of CCSC as a 2024 DESE School of Recognition.
The prestigious National Blue Ribbon Schools program began in 1982 as a way of honoring and recognizing high-performing public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall achievement or success in closing the achievement gap among diverse groups of students, measured by data from state assessments. CCSC was slated to be among the last cohort of schools to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education before it announced it was discontinuing the program in late August of this year.
CCSC is one of six Massachusetts schools – and the only charter public school and the only school serving high school grades – to receive this distinction this year.
“For over 20 years, I have been humbled to work with an incredibly talented, dedicated community of staff, students, and families,” said Becki Norris, founding science teacher and CCSC Head of School. “The caring relationships nurtured between all members of the community allow us to set expectations high and provide commensurately high, individualized support for every student. We are so proud to be recognized for the commitment and dedication of our students, families, staff, volunteers, and community partners, which results in our students growing into empowered, confident adults who succeed in college, career, and beyond.”
Founded in 2005, CCSC serves students in grades 6-12. CCSC is a welcoming, safe, and trusting community of lifelong learners that champions and challenges the whole student through high expectations, engaging and evidence-based instruction, and individualized support. Students build meaningful relationships as they grow into critical, compassionate, and reflective thinkers and the school’s small-by-design model and emphasis on authentic assessment, public presentations, and meaningful real-world experiences ensures that every student is known, supported, and challenged holistically so that they are prepared to navigate college and career.