by Jen Myers
LOWELL – The Stoklosa Middle School has been named a National ESEA Distinguished School, an honor bestowed upon only 100 schools across the nation – two from each state – annually.
A project of the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators, the award recognizes federally funded schools for outstanding achievements in education through the effective use of ESEA funds.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is a federal law passed in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” providing federal grant funding to support public education in low-income areas.
“This award recognizes many years of hard work and steady progress at the Stoklosa Middle School,” said Superintendent of Schools Liam Skinner. “Under the leadership of Principal James Cardaci, the entire Stoklosa community has worked to build a school where students can learn, grow, and thrive. I could not be prouder to see their efforts recognized on a national stage.”
The Stoklosa, nominated by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), was recognized for their work in serving special populations of students and closing achievement gaps. In the 2025-2026 school year, 75.5 percent of Stoklosa students were low income, 49.5 percent had a first language other than English, 23.8 percent were English language learners, and 18.3 percent had disabilities.
Despite many challenges, the school’s test results have shown impressive academic growth in recent years, resulting in the Stoklosa being named a School of Recognition by the Massachusetts DESE last year.
DESE assigns each school an “accountability percentile” score annually that measures a school’s overall academic performance, based on factors including MCAS performance, chronic absenteeism rates, and English language proficiency, relative to all other schools statewide that serve similar grade spans. In 2023, the Stoklosa scored a 12, meaning it was performing better than 12 percent of similar schools in the state. In 2024, the score had increased to 23; in 2025 to 33; and in 2026, 46 — with the school deemed by the state to not require assistance or intervention, having demonstrated substantial growth toward targets.
“We are honored to be selected for this award, which reflects the collective dedication, perseverance, and commitment of our students, teachers, support staff, counselors, instructional leaders, and families,” said Stoklosa Principal James Cardaci. “This achievement belongs to our entire school community and represents the countless hours of intentional planning, high-quality instruction, targeted academic and social-emotional supports, and meaningful collaboration that takes place every day. Our staff consistently demonstrates a willingness to reflect on their practice, embrace accountability, analyze student performance data, and make adjustments to ensure that every student has an atomized success plan. Equally important, our students continue to demonstrate resilience, ownership of their learning, and a willingness to embrace challenges, persevere through obstacles, and strive for continued growth.”
The Stoklosa will be among the award recipients celebrated at the National ESEA Conference in February 2027.
