The state has identified Enota Elementary School as a Title I Distinguished School, having made "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for five consecutive years.

For its efforts, the school will receive $74,125 and an invitation to the Georgia Department of Education Schools of Excellence Celebration set for May 7 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

"I think it's fantastic," said PTA president Heather Hayes of the honor. "It's well deserved."

The school threw its own celebration Tuesday, featuring a cake and a picture taken of staff members from the past five years, principal Sally Meadors said.

She learned last week about the honor.

"We're always thrilled when we get that kind of money," she said. "We can sure use it, with the budget cuts from the state."

No Child Left Behind, which was passed in 2001 to judge all schools on their performance, established the recognition program, which replaced a similar one started by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1994. Title I schools have high poverty rates.

Meadors thinks such programs are beneficial. "People need to know schools are being rewarded," she said.

No Child Left Behind caused an uproar last fall when the state released lists showing whether schools made adequate progress. Initially, the state identified 13 schools in the Hall County School System and four in Gainesville City Schools as not making adequate progress.

Enota was among those schools, as it had not reduced the number of English for Speakers of Other Languages students getting help in reading by 10 percent. The state later removed Enota, after an appeals process.

Georgia uses the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests to assess the performance of elementary and middle schools and the Georgia High School Graduation Test for high schools.

Those that don't make adequate progress for two or more consecutive years are declared "needs improvement" and face sanctions, such as offering transfers to other schools. To get off that list, a needs-improvement school must make adequate progress for two consecutive years.

The recognition program also identifies Title I schools that have made adequate progress for three and four consecutive years.

No other Title I school in either the city or county received such a distinction.

In a letter to Gainesville City Schools Superintendent Steven Ballowe, Clara J. Keith, the state's director of Title I programs, said that distinguished schools "will serve as models for schools identified for improvement with similar demographics and may be contacted by other school systems for information or site visits."

Ballowe couldn't be reached for comment.

Meadors was excited at the prospect of serving as role model. "We would welcome visitors," she said.

The school must send an information packet by Feb. 20 to the state education department before receiving the $74,125, which can used as monetary awards for staff members or for resources, instructional supplies or schoolwide projects.

Meadors said the packet will include information about the school's instruction in reading and math, the school's emphasis on integrating different learning styles and its development of "Smartville, USA," which features a school bank, post office, store and other town-like institutions.

Hayes, who has one child at the school and another rising kindergartner, said the school has become an exciting place.

"I have never felt so proud to be a part of something like I have the last few months," she said.

Meadors said the school plans to examine its needs before deciding where to commit the money. She did say the school wouldn't use the money to distribute among staff members, as most of the staff is new. Meadors herself has headed the school for two years.

This year, teachers transferred to other schools as the district expanded to five elementary schools from three and went to an academy system in which each elementary school has its own style of providing state-required curriculum.