Cognia® names Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College a 2025 Cognia School of Distinction for excellence in education. This year Cognia, the global nonprofit school improvement organization, recognized 35 schools and school systems in the United States and four other countries across the globe as 2025 Cognia Schools or Systems of Distinction.
“I am pleased to congratulate Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College for their designation as a 2025 Cognia School of Distinction, a program which recognizes public and non-public institutions that exemplify excellence in education and service to learners,” said Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia.
Cognia selected Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College as one of the 24 schools and 11 systems out of more than 1,110 eligible institutions that hosted a Cognia Accreditation Engagement Review during the 2024-2025 school year.
“We are honored to be recognized as a 2025 Cognia School of Distinction,” said Lori Shaak, Interim Principal of Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our faculty and staff, the hard work of our students, and the continued support of Northwest Florida State College in helping us maintain the highest standards of academic excellence.”
During the 2024-2025 school year, Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College participated in Cognia’s rigorous Accreditation Engagement Review process, which is grounded in research-based performance standards. The process includes a third-party review of evidence by education experts, interviews, and classroom observations. The review evaluates institutions and seeks evidence of growth in student learning and performance, a healthy culture for learning, engaging and high-quality instructional environments, and effective leadership for learning—all characteristics Cognia expects to see in quality schools that also demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement.
“Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College is to be commended for earning the designation as a School of Distinction,” said Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia. “Cognia Accreditation is already a mark of school quality recognized around the world. Being named a School or System of Distinction further acknowledges the demonstrated commitment to education quality and a mindset of continuous improvement Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College has for its learners,” Elgart added.
