School of Excellence Program

National PTA’s School of Excellence program is committed to supporting and recognizing partnerships between local PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.

The School of Excellence program opens the lines of communication and critical thinking within school communities to make data-driven decisions that yield positive, long-term results. Over 40 years of research shows increased family engagement is linked to school improvement and student achievement. By enrolling in this program, your PTA and school administrators are making a year-long commitment in identifying and implementing an action plan for school improvement based on PTA's National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.

The School of Excellence Program aims to: 

  • Provide a framework for PTAs to identify and implement best practices in family engagement to strengthen family-school partnerships.

  • Build inclusive and welcoming school communities where all families contribute to enriching the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.

  • Help PTAs attract new, action-oriented PTA members who want to focus on the issues that affect our children the most.

  • Provide step-by-step guidance and networking opportunities for PTAs to gain support and feedback, identify and reach goals and earn recognition. 

  • Celebrate designees and top Phoebe Apperson Hearst awardees as national leaders in building effective family-school partnerships, which opens up additional honors and opportunities.

Steps to Becoming a National PTA School of Excellence

Through the program, your PTA will complete several steps designed to help build an inclusive and welcoming school community where all families contribute to enriching the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.

Once enrolled, you will receive access to an online toolkit with step-by-step instructions on how to run your program and and achieve their school improvement goals. As you implement strategies to enhance family engagement at your school, you can expect National PTA to provide training, resources, program reminders and timely responses to your questions.

  • Step 1 (May 1 – Oct. 15). Enroll and Get Started

  • Step 2 (August – Dec. 15). Gather and Analyze Community Feedback 

  • Step 3 (Nov.  – May). Build an Excellence Action Plan and Check Back with your Community

  • Step 4 (May 1 – June 15). Reflect On and Summarize Progress 

  • Step 5 (Aug.). Celebrate Your Excellence

Learn more