A+ Eligibility & Timeline
A+ eligibility for new schools and timeline for renewal applications
Eligibility
Schools earning the A+ School of Excellence Award go above and beyond the everyday practices expected of public schools. Please download the “School Eligibility Requirements” for more information.
Timeline for “New” Applicants and “Renewal” Schools
A “new” applicant is defined as any school who is either new to applying for the A+ Award; a school who applied but was not successful at the time in receiving the A+ distinction; or a school that held the A+ distinction at one time but has now lapsed.
A “renewal” school is one that has consecutively received the award with no gaps in award years. Renewal schools are still expected to submit the same application as new schools and meet the same expectations.
Application Timelines
2025–2026 Application Cycle Timeline
- Application deadline is 5:00pm MST, August 29th, 2025.
- Late September 2025: Applications are reviewed by panels of A+ judges.
- October 2025: Schools are notified if a site visit will be conducted.
- November 2025 – January 2026: Site visits are conducted.
- Mid-February 2026: A+ School of Excellence™ winners are announced/Award ceremonies occur.
Renewal School Timeline
Schools renewing their A+ designation will reapply at the beginning of their fourth year. NOTE: A “renewal school” is a school applying for another consecutive term as an A+ school. Schools with a lapse in years are not considered renewals.
- 2021 Awarded Schools reapply August 31st, 2025 (notified Spring 2026).
- 2022 Awarded Schools reapply August 31st, 2026 (notified Spring 2027).
- 2023 Awarded Schools reapply August 31st, 2027 (notified Spring 2028).
- 2024 Awarded Schools reapply August 31st, 2028 (notified Spring 2029).
Note: The renewal timeline above reflects a change in award term made in 2020, allowing schools to keep their status for 4 years rather than the previous 3 1/2.
New Applicant Schools Timeline
A school earning the A+ award in SPRING 2025 will have the award as follows:
- August 2025-August 2026 – YEAR ONE.
- August 2026-August 2027 – YEAR TWO.
- August 2027-August 2028 – YEAR THREE.
- August 2028-August 2029 – YEAR FOUR. Renewal schools may have their new application submitted in Fall 2029 and a site visit (if granted) during Winter/Spring of their Year Four. Renewals will be awarded in the Spring semester of your school’s FOURTH year.
A+ School of Excellence Info
Next Steps and Helpful Information
