Nearly 300 SPS High School Students Earn Seal of Biliteracy

SPS Students Achieve Seal of Biliteracy Designation in 18 Different World Languages

Stamford Public Schools (SPS) is pleased to announce that as of June 9, 2025, 299 SPS students qualified for the Seal of Biliteracy during the 2024-25 school year. District wide, 171 seniors and 128 underclassmen earned the Seal of Biliteracy, which is awarded to students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. This year, SPS students achieved the designation in 18 different languages.

“Earning the Seal of Biliteracy is a powerful testament to a student’s academic achievement and reflects that value that Stamford Public Schools places on the linguistic and cultural diversity in our classrooms and community,” said Amy Beldotti, Chief Academic Officer. “The Seal of Biliteracy highlights an important skill that will offer long-term advantages to students as they pursue postsecondary education and careers in an interconnected global society.”

The Seal of Biliteracy is recognized in all 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Beyond simply speaking two or more languages, the Seal celebrates the ability to read and write proficiently in multiple languages, a skill that research consistently links to enhanced cognitive abilities, increased earning potential, and improved health outcomes. This year, SPS students earned the award in American Sign Language, Arabic, Czech, Farsi, French, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish and Ukrainian. Seven students qualified for the Seal in two languages other than English and one student qualified for the Seal in 3 languages.

The Seal of Biliteracy designation appears on high school transcripts and diplomas, and students receive a medal to wear at graduation. Students at all three SPS high schools qualified for the Seal as follows:

AITE: 24 students (19 Seniors, 5 Juniors)
Stamford High School: 164 students (73 Seniors, 61 Juniors, 29 Sophomores and 1 Freshman)
Westhill High School: 111 students (79 Seniors, 32 Juniors)

The Seal of Biliteracy program is coordinated by Matt Gladstone at Stamford High School and Ann Herz at Westhill in collaboration with the World Language Departments from each of the district’s three high schools.

Click HERE for a list of 2024-2025 SPS seniors who earned the Seal of Biliteracy.