• Madison, NJ — September 21, 2022 — St. Vincent Martyr School has been named a 2022 Cognia™ School of Distinction for excellence in education. Cognia, the global nonprofit school improvement organization, recognized 96 schools in the United States and Puerto Rico and nine in other countries across the globe as Schools of Distinction.

    St. Vincent Martyr School is recognized as a 2022 Cognia School of Distinction a program which recognizes pre-K–12 education institutions that exemplify excellence in education and service to learners. Cognia selected St. Vincent Martyr School as one of the 96 schools and 38 systems out of more than 1,500 institutions that were eligible for its 2022 Cognia Schools and Systems of Distinction. St. Vincent Martyr School is the only school in New Jersey to have received the honor this year.

    “It was a monumental, year-long project to prepare for the evaluation by Cognia. We were pleased when the school received high marks on its accreditation, and felt it was a testament to our faculty's talents and dedication,” said Sr. Noreen Holly, SC, Prinicpal of St. Vincent Martyr School. “To receive the additional news that we were being recognized by Cognia as a School of Distinction sent us over the moon with pride.”

    St. Vincent Martyr School earned Cognia Accreditation in 2022. St. Vincent Martyr School participated in Cognia’s rigorous Accreditation Engagement Review process, which is based on research-based performance standards. The process includes a third-party review by education experts of evidence, interviews, and classroom observations. The evaluation covers Leadership Capacity, Learning Capacity, and Resource Capacity, as well as a demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement.

    “St. Vincent Martyr School is to be commended on their recognition as a School of Distinction,” said Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia. “Cognia Accreditation is already a mark of distinction recognized around the world. Being named a School or System of Distinction further recognizes the commitment to education quality St. Vincent Martyr School has for its learners,” he added.

    For Cognia Global Network member institutions, Cognia offers an opportunity to be further recognized as a school or system of distinction in the year in which an accreditation engagement review is held. Unlike the typical six-year accreditation cycle, this program recognizes institutions that hosted a Cognia Accreditation Engagement Review within the recognition year 2021-2022. Learn more about Cognia membership at Cognia.org.