(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Digging deep to overhaul its way of preparing students for the future puts Hamilton Township High School among the nation’s prestigious and newly named Blue Ribbon Schools.

It’s dramatically improved performance lands the school in the company of only two others in Ohio on the 2015 list announced Sept. 29. In fact, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan designated just 335 schools.

District spokesman Vince Payne said that the national honor is the culmination of an aligned commitment by the faculty, staff, administration and community to provide the best possible education for the children of our district, including utilizing communication and collaboration tools that eSchoolView, its website host, provides.

“Hamilton Local has always been extremely purposeful with their approach, underlying the need to build strong relationships,” eSchoolView Executive Director Rob O’Leary said. “We launched a revamped website for the district about five years ago; one that’s easy to use and encourages collaboration among staff so relevant and timely information is always shared.”

HTHS was in danger of being placed in academic emergency but shifted gears, raised expectations and began reaping in various recognitions for its work with students. The school has earned an A rating for three consecutive years, been an Ohio Department of Education School of Promise four times in a row, and was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a bronze award winner in the publication’s annual America’s BEST High School listing.

The Columbus, Ohio-area high school has roughly 900 students; 64 percent of its population is economically disadvantaged. HTHS was initially selected and nominated for the Blue Ribbon honor by the Ohio Department of Education.

“This most recent award comes as no surprise to us,” O’Leary said. “The district’s focus on preparing students for the future while embracing change and innovation has always been apparent whether through the conversations we have about the tools we provide or the courses of study they create for students.”

With a strong emphasis on the core subjects, the high school offers innovative programs that are relevant to students and future leaders. “Twenty-first Century Business” and “Technology and Business Management “courses are offered to freshmen and up, while those in grades 10-12 can move into Entrepreneurship and Web Page Design classes. Many juniors and seniors take accounting and a course in print and digital media.

Hamilton Local Schools also uses eSchoolView’s mobile software and site scanning. The Columbus, Ohio-based company is currently listed near the top third of the nation’s fastest growing privately held companies on the Inc. 5000 list.

PROFILE

GlobeNewswire, a NASDAQ OMX company, is one of the world’s largest newswire distribution networks, specializing in the delivery of corporate press releases financial disclosures and multimedia content to the media, investment community, individual investors and the general public.