After defeating over two dozen other school districts, the Lamar Consolidated School District was selected as the Best Large School District of Texas and received a grand prize of $100,000 as the winner of the H-E-B Excellence Award, the state’s largest monetary recognition program for educators.

The Richmond community of River Park West is located in the LCISD and hosts some the award-winning schools within the district. The new Hutchinson Elementary School has achieved Exemplary Ratings from 2005-2007, and half of the local high school graduates are recommended or distinguished program participants, making them “Texas School Grant Eligible.” As proof of LCISD’s commitment to the establishment of premier education, over 75% of graduates are college-bound, compared to the national average of only 25%.

The H-E-B Excellence Award program began its campaign to find such honorable schools in 2002, awarding over $3 million to 773 educators and 155 schools and districts across the state. The program specifically recognizes “the best in Texas education,” from school districts as a whole to individual teachers, as well as cash prizes for educator’s achievements.

Source: Fort Bent Herald