Cross County Elementary Technology Academy (CCETA), part of the Cross County School District, has been named one of the Top 10 Schools in the World in the Overcoming Adversity category by T4 Education’s World’s Best School Prizes. This global recognition celebrates schools that are making a transformative impact despite facing significant challenges.
Located in the heart of the Arkansas Delta, CCETA serves a rural, high-poverty community, yet has become a model of excellence and resilience. Through intentional teacher support, a strong character education program, and community partnerships, the school has created an environment where students and educators thrive.
At the center of this success is a 14-year partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). CCETA has used this partnership to implement robust coaching, weekly collaboration through Cluster Meetings, and targeted professional development that has resulted in a 96% teacher retention rate over the past five years—well above state and national averages.
In 2023, the school launched its Creatures of Character initiative, embedding core values into everyday instruction. The program has already shown powerful results, including a 52% decrease in insubordination and a noticeable improvement in school climate.
CCETA is also the only school within a 30-mile radius to experience enrollment growth, with an 18.63% increase over the past three years, as more families choose the school for its high-quality education and nurturing environment.
“This recognition puts a spotlight on the incredible work happening in rural Arkansas,” said Principal Jessica Stacy. “It proves that with the right support and a commitment to excellence, even the most challenging circumstances can lead to extraordinary outcomes.”
Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva congratulated CCETA on being named a Top 10 finalist for the World’s Best School Prizes 2025.
“We are extremely proud of the Cross County Elementary Technology Academy on being named a finalist for this award," said Secretary Oliva. "The school’s commitment to providing robust professional development for its teachers, focus on teacher retention, and purposeful efforts to enhance character education for students resulted in tangible results that have positively improved student learning. Congratulations to this school for its efforts to improve instruction.”
Kate Mamiseishvili, Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas also applauded the school's accomplishment.
“Congratulations, Cross County Elementary Technology Academy," said Mamiseishvili. "The College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas applauds your determination, creativity, and collaborative spirit. Being named a finalist for this award reflects not only the remarkable progress the school has made but also the deep commitment of its educators, students, and community to overcome significant obstacles and create meaningful change.”
The five World’s Best School Prizes, founded by T4 Education in the wake of COVID in 2022 to share the best practices of schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and far beyond their walls, are the world’s most prestigious education prizes.
“In a world being turned upside down by AI, as technology reshapes the way we learn and renders jobs that have existed for centuries obsolete, amid growing challenges of climate change, conflict, poverty and populism, the world our young people are entering has never felt more precarious. And a good education, with humans at its heart, has never been more important," remarked Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World's Best School Prizes. “It is in schools like Cross County Elementary Technology Academy where we find the innovations and expertise that give us hope for a better future. Congratulations on becoming a finalist for the World’s Best School Prizes 2025. Leaders and schools around the world have so much to learn from this inspirational Arkansas institution.”
The winners of the five World’s Best School Prizes - for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives – will be chosen by an expert Judging Academy based on rigorous criteria. In addition, all 50 finalist schools across the five Prizes will also take part in a Public Vote, which opened today, to determine the winner of the Community Choice Award. All six winners will be announced in October.
The winners and finalists of these global schools prizes will be invited to the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on November 15-16 where they will share their best practices and unique expertise and experience with policymakers and leading figures in global education.
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