Montclair Elementary won Georgia's John Hancock Ribbon of Distinction: at least 90% of students can write their names and the Preamble in cursive.

Montclair Elementary School in Brookhaven has won the Georgia Department of Education’s John Hancock Award at its higher level, the Ribbon of Distinction.

The ribbon goes to schools where at least 90% of students can write both their names and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution in cursive. The lower level, the Proficiency Ribbon, asks for names only. Both come with a John Hancock banner for the school.

The DeKalb County School District listed Montclair among its winners in a district announcement on Oct. 23. State School Superintendent Richard Woods and two State Board of Education members presented the banners to principals on Thursday, Oct. 22, the district said.

How Montclair compares

The awards are for the 2025-26 school year. According to the district’s announcement:

  • 630 schools across Georgia earned John Hancock recognition.
  • 323 of them received the Ribbon of Distinction, Montclair’s level.
  • 307 received the Proficiency Ribbon.
  • 38 DeKalb schools were recognized: 27 with the Ribbon of Distinction and 11 with the Proficiency Ribbon.

Montclair, at 1680 Clairmont Place NE, serves pre-K through fifth grade and had 648 students in 2025. It feeds Sequoyah Middle School and Cross Keys High School.

One more school on our list of public schools serving Brookhaven also won the Ribbon of Distinction: Briar Vista Elementary, which sits outside the city on Briar Vista Terrace in Atlanta.

The other elementary schools on that list do not appear on the district’s list of winners. They are Ashford Park, Cary Reynolds, John Robert Lewis, Montgomery and Woodward.

What it means for you

  • Montclair families: the school’s own website and our Montclair Elementary page carry its zone, hours, feeder schools and state report card.
  • Other parents: our public schools page lists every DeKalb school serving Brookhaven, with enrollment and state scores, and links to the district’s zone locator.
  • About the award: the district’s announcement has the full list of DeKalb winners at both levels.