Four elementary schools in the Kent School District received Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction 2016 Washington Achievement Awards.

• Carriage Crest: English Language Arts Growth Award

• Grass Lake: High Progress and English Language Arts Growth Award

• Horizon: Closing the Achievement Gap Award

• Martin Sortun: Overall Excellence, High Progress, English Language Arts Growth, Math Growth and English Language Acquisition Award

All four schools have received these awards several times demonstrating educational excellence. Martin Sortun has received the award for five consecutive years, Carriage Crest and Grass Lake four years consecutively and Horizon three years in a row. The award-winning schools will be honored during a ceremony on May 3, at Olympic Middle School in the Auburn School District.

“Our students understand their success is the direct result of persistence and practice to be the best they can be, one of our core beliefs. They understand achievement is directly related to how much effort they are willing to apply and our staff recognize the importance of the target,” said Martin Sortun Principal Gregory Kroll in a school district media release.

“To continue to see student growth and have a staff dedicated to ensuring all students are successful is amazing. We have an extremely supportive parent community and with that support, we always push our students to be safe, be learners, be respectful, and be responsible,” said Carriage Crest Principal Robert Gallagher.

A total of 280 schools earned Washington Achievement Awards for the 2016 academic school year. The schools are selected based on statewide assessment data for the three previous years. Schools must meet the 95 percent participation rate on state tests to be eligible.