It was one of four Arizona schools and 320 schools nationwide to be recognized. Three schools in Utah - Mapleton Elementary, Mona Elementary and Oakridge Elementary in Salt Lake City - made the list.
At Masada, students now score in the top 10 percent on Arizona's AIMS tests in the three subject areas and achievement has soared over the past four years - the result of "a lot of hard work," said LeAnne Timpson, school administrator.
"It is an accomplishment and we want to enjoy the success of that . . . but this year we are asking how to go from a good school to a great school," she said.
The awards honor schools that notch a dramatic improvement in student performance, are academically superior with a student population that is 40 percent disadvantaged, or are academically superior regardless of student's backgrounds.
Mary Wohlforth, principal at Mona Elementary, said her 298 students fit in the second category. She credited the success to "a culmination of work from many years of working together."
Mona has 13 full-time teachers, which allows a lot of focus on individual learning needs, she said.
At Oakridge Elementary, Principal Rosanne Newell said the school's 536 students score in the 96th percentile for whole school language arts and the 95th percentile for math. The school integrates music, visual arts and dance in its curriculum and emphasizes technology.
"We try to teach to multiple intelligences, knowing that all children don't learn in the same ways," she said.
Masada is a K-9 charter school. Its 461 students come from the communities of Centennial Park, Colorado City and Cane Beds. It is located just south of the Utah-Arizona state line.
Many students come from plural-marriage families associated with Centennial Park, a polygamous community distinct from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is also located in the Arizona Strip.
Opened in 2001, Masada emphasizes small classes, computer technology and collaboration. Teachers engage in "action research projects" that require them to constantly refine their curriculums and teaching methods.
"Last year every teacher in our school chose writing because we noticed weaknesses in our writing scores," Timpson said. In one year, teachers may go through six or seven cycles of refining their methods and focus as they measure student learning.
Masada representatives have been invited to make a presentation about the model at the awards ceremony in Arlington, Va., in October.
* LISA SCHENCKER contributed to this story.
