LITTLE ROCK, Iowa (KTIV)— Students at George Little Rock Elementary erupted in cheers Tuesday after learning their once-struggling school became one of just four schools statewide to receive Iowa’s prestigious Blue Ribbon Award.

The celebration marks an extraordinary comeback for the small northwest Iowa school, which ranked among the state’s lowest performers just seven years ago.

“It is very humbling for us,” said Karie Aeikens, Elementary Principal at George Little Rock. “George Little Rock is a very small school district in the state of Iowa in the Northwest corner, so we don’t get a lot of attention usually. But we are doing amazing things here.”

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The transformation has been nothing short of remarkable. In 2018, when the state released its performance profiles, G

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