We searched America for educational pioneers. To start with, gifted teachers and inspiring principals.
Great schools ask everyone to stretch.
Then they give kids the tools and attention they need to reach their goals. We present to you on these pages our choices for TIME's Schools of the Year, the most accomplished K-12 institutions we found in a search that began last fall. The winners were selected by a team of writers and editors. To be sure, it was a subjective process. Our Schools of the Year are not the nation's best as measured by test scores.