KARNS CITY — Sugarcreek Elementary School in the Karns City School District today was named a Blue Ribbon School because of it's improvement on state test scores.

The U.S. Department of Education this morning named Sugarcreek with the honor along with 313 public and private schools nationwide.

"We're naturally excited," Superintendent Larry Henry said.

School Principal Gregg Paladina said the U.S. Department of Education took particular notice of the school's test scores because more than 50 percent of the student are considered economically disadvantaged under federal guidelines. In one key testing area, 100 percent the students scored proficient two out of the three past years, Paladina said.

"The district has made great strides at looking at weaknesses and attacking those weaknesses," said Paladina.

"The staff deserves all the credit," Henry said. "They put a lot of hard work into it."

Sugarcreek, which has 260 kindergarten to sixth grade students from the eastern portion of the district, is in Cowansville. It became part of the school district in 1993 when the district merged with the East Brady School District.

This is the first building in the Karns City district to receive the national honor.