MCPS received $250,000 in college scholarships for being one of five finalists for the Broad Prize in urban education.

The Broad Prize, the largest education award in the country, recognizes school systems that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap and increasing overall student performance. MCPS is the first school system in Maryland and Washington D.C. to finalize.

“It is a huge achievement,” said Larry Bowers, the MCPS chief operating officer. “For MCPS to be considered among over 100 school systems is something we really have to be proud of.”

In the future, MCPS will focus on strategies to ensure that students who haven’t been as successful as others will get the help they need, Bowers said.

“We hope to encourage even more previously underachieving groups to take AP courses and improve scores on SAT and ACT,” Bowers said.

Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia won the overall prize and received $1 million in college scholarships.