Wednesday may be the first day of school at Demopolis High School but the faculty and administrators got the biggest report card of their career today. And it was all As.

Administrators at the school were notified Tuesday that Demopolis High School was named a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon school.

“You win a state championship in football and that’s a big deal,” Demopolis High Principal Dr. Isaac Espy said. “(The Blue Ribbon distinction) is a national championship in terms of academics.”

Demopolis, one of only three public high schools to ever win Blue Ribbon certification, was nominated due to significant progress in math and reading scores among its black and impoverished students.

For more, see tomorrow’s edition of the Demopolis Times